Nigeria: Armed Groups Attack Villages, Kidnapping Numerous People

Dozens of people are feared dead and many more abducted following coordinated attacks by armed groups on several villages in Nigeria. Reports indicate that up to 40 residents of Dikera village may have been killed during the assaults, with a significant number of people taken captive. The attackers have been identified by survivors as members of the Islamist group Lakurawa.

A survivor recounted the harrowing events, describing how hundreds of armed militants attacked villagers after Friday prayers. "They slaughtered many of us and said we were not following the true teachings of Islam," the survivor told AFP. Experts suggest that the Lakurawa group has ties to the Islamic State's Sahel Province, an affiliate of the notorious jihadist militia known as the Islamic State (IS).

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They slaughtered many of us and said we were not following the true teachings of Islam.

Further attacks were reported in Kpenya village, where a mosque was allegedly targeted. Prior to these incidents, attackers had raided multiple villages in the Borgu administrative district, according to a police spokesperson cited by AP. The scale of the abductions remains unclear, with one eyewitness stating, "Nobody can give the exact number of the kidnapped, because so far about 80 of our people have been taken, and many have fled the area."

So far, the Nigerian government and the military of the West African nation have remained silent on the specific attack in Dikera. The ongoing violence highlights the persistent security challenges in parts of Nigeria, where extremist groups continue to pose a significant threat to civilian populations.

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Nobody can give the exact number of the kidnapped, because so far about 80 of our people have been taken, and many have fled the area.