Muhibbat Abass, a student at Akram’s College of Health Science and Technology in Niger State, has said 14 members of her family were among the over 500 worshippers abducted when terrorists attacked four Juma’at mosques in Borgu Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday, Muhibbat said those abducted included her father, aged grandfather, siblings and other relatives.

She said she had stopped schooling since the incident because of the trauma and lack of financial support.

The terrorists attacked Dekara, Kpenya, Sabon-Gida and Gidan-Zana communities on August 21 while worshippers were observing Juma’at prayers.

Two days later, the terrorists released a video claiming to have abducted 500 worshippers, including women and children.

The cries of children could be heard in the video as the narrator asked victims’ relatives to identify their fathers, mothers, siblings and children.

Families later authenticated the video after identifying their relatives among those shown.

The affected communities subsequently released the names of 547 worshippers allegedly abducted during the attacks, contradicting the figure given by Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.

Bago had described reports of more than 500 abductees as “social media hype”.

“33 were kidnapped at the mosque, and on their way, they kidnapped an additional 30 in a market, making a total of 63. So far, three of those kidnapped were killed and 14 recovered from them,” the governor said while receiving his predecessor, Abubakar Sani Bello, at the Government House.

The chairman of Borgu LGA, Mohammed Nasir Abdullahi, also said the number of those abducted was “a little above 60”.

“From the record I have, those kidnapped were a little above 60. Those that were killed were close to 30,” he said.

But the affected communities rejected the figures and released a list containing the names of the abductees.

In the document, the Youth President of Dekara District, Zubairu Umar, said 547 community members were taken into the Kainji Lake National Park forest.

He said their whereabouts and condition remained unknown.

The governor’s comments also triggered a protest by residents last Monday.

‘Terrorists holding my 14 family members’

Muhibbat identified the 14 members of her family in captivity as Abass Saleh, her father; Rasheedat Abass; Abubakar Sarkin Yamma; Hajarat Shehu; Lamrat Shehu; Jamiu Shehu; Maryam Idris; Adama Adamu; Rukayat Adamu; Hudu Adamu; Rahinat Ibrahim; Hindu Yahya; Barakat Ibrahim; and Swaibu Yahaya.

“We have been in a very difficult situation since the incident. Some people were slaughtered like goats. Our houses were burnt down. They stole our belongings, including cash and motorcycles. We lost virtually everything,” she said.

She said the abduction had also forced her and her younger brother to stop attending school.

“I am supposed to be in school now. My immediate younger brother is also supposed to be in school now. We are being sponsored by our father. He pays our school fees and buys food for us, but since the incident, we have stopped schooling because of the trauma, and there is nobody to help us. We are at home now.

“We are appealing to the federal and Niger State governments to rescue our people. While our loved ones are in the forest, we are in trauma because we don’t know their condition,” she said.

‘We lost 10 family members’

Abdulkadir Idris said his father, Idris Bani Yakubu, was among the worshippers abducted from the Dekara mosque during Juma’at prayer.

Idris said he later saw his father in the video released by the terrorists showing some of the kidnapped victims.

“My father was among those kidnapped from the mosque. He is number 85 in the list of names earlier shared. I saw my father in the video of the kidnapped victims the terrorists released days after the incident. My mother’s younger brother and his pregnant wife are also in that video.

“I live in the same house with my father because I am the only male child. So, in my house, my father was taken during Jumaat prayers.

“From my maternal family house, four people were slaughtered. From my paternal family house, six people were slaughtered. At Gbezhin, my father’s younger brother, his wife and his children were among those kidnapped. My father’s younger sister was also kidnapped.

“During the attack, they stole our belongings, including cash some people kept in their rooms”, he said.

Idris told Daily Trust that after the abduction, 39 people were slaughtered, with their bodies later recovered and buried.

He added that eight other bodies were subsequently discovered, but their identities could not be established because the remains had already decomposed.

According to him, the bodies were evacuated and buried despite the difficulty in identifying the victims.

Idris appealed to the government to intensify efforts to secure the release of those still being held.

‘15 women, girls kidnapped from my family house’

Alhaji Zubairu Umar, Talban Dekara, said he lost members of his immediate and extended families.

I witnessed the burial of those killed. I know everything that happened. On that fateful Friday, terrorists invaded Dekara Jumaat Mosque and kidnapped about 40 men from the mosque.

“After assembling the worshipers, they went from house to house and assembled the rest of the men and women. So, 88 people were kidnapped from Dekera. Only a few people escaped.

“At Gidan-Zana, they assembled people. Four people escaped and fled to Benin Republic. At Gidan-Zana, the terrorists succeeded in taking away 347 people. At Sabon-Gida, 104 people were kidnapped the same Friday.

“During the invasion of Dekara, 39 people were killed, and houses were burnt down in Dekara, Gidan-Zana and Kpenya. At Sabon-Gida, 6 people were kidnapped, and the entire village was also burnt down. The kidnapped people were taken to the National Park forest.

“My own loved ones were among those kidnapped and killed, and my own house was also burnt. We did not know where the governor got his information from that only 33 people were kidnapped.

“Two of my younger brothers were killed. Seven of my elder brother’s children were killed. My father was kidnapped, my son-in-law was kidnapped, fifteen women and young girls were kidnapped from my family house.

“Only God knows what we feel. Our livelihood and assets, including houses, have been destroyed,” he said.

Almost all families in Dekara affected

Zubairu Mohammed, told Daily Trust that almost every family in Dekara and other communities were affected by the attack.

“My father and mother escaped. But my father’s younger brother, Umaru Sharo, was kidnapped. Three of my mother’s younger brothers and their wives were also abducted.

“Two of my father’s younger brothers were slaughtered, and from my mother’s family, one young man, Mukaila, was also slaughtered,” he said.

Isah Zakari, the younger brother to the village head of Sabon-Gari, told our correspondent that the village head and 149 others, including 50 women from the village, are currently in captivity.

Abductors yet to contact us – village head

The village head of Kpenya, Mallam Adamu, told our correspondent on the telephone that while nine people from his village are still in captivity, three others had been killed.

He said that over one month since the attack, the abductors had yet to contact the families of the victims.

“We are calling on the government to come to our rescue. It has been over one month since the incident, but nobody has been contacted. The government should come to our rescue,” he said.

Niger govt vows to rescue all Kidnap victims

The Niger State Government has vowed to work with security agencies to rescue all those abducted in Dekara and other parts of the state.

The state Commissioner for Homeland Security, Maurice Magaji, said this during an interaction with journalists on August 27.

He said tackling the state’s security challenges required the cooperation of the government, security agencies and residents.

Magaji urged residents to support security efforts by providing useful information on suspicious activities and movements in their communities.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Niger State, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the Inspector General of Police had deployed personnel to support the rescue operation.

He said the deployment included tactical teams, counter-terrorism units and the police air wing, which were working with other security agencies.

Abiodun also said the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7 had been deployed to Niger to coordinate the various operational assets.

He said the assets would be combined to intensify the rescue operation and secure the release of the victims as soon as possible.

On August 29, the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, also reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to rescuing all those abducted in Borgu Local Government Area.

Disu spoke when he visited the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, at the Government House in Minna.

The IGP assured families of the victims that the police were working tirelessly to bring their loved ones back.

He said the police were working closely with other security agencies through regular meetings and intelligence sharing to achieve the rescue operation. (Daily Trust)