Nigeria's president orders manhunt after kidnappers post video of hundreds of abduction victims
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered a manhunt and launched a rescue operation for victims of a mass abduction in the country's north-west, after gunmen posted a video on social media showing dozens of captured men, women and children sitting in a forest. According to Al Jazeera, Tinubu announced the operation on Tuesday for what it described as a 600-person mass abduction.
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Thu, 27 August 2026 · 2 min read
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered a manhunt and launched a rescue operation for victims of a mass abduction in the country's north-west, after gunmen posted a video on social media showing dozens of captured men, women and children sitting in a forest. According to Al Jazeera, Tinubu announced the operation on Tuesday for what it described as a 600-person mass abduction (Al Jazeera).
According to the BBC, gunmen reportedly dressed in military-style clothing attacked the villages of Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida and Masaka in the Borgu area, which borders Kebbi and Kwara states as well as neighbouring Benin. Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun told the BBC that more than 40 people were killed, though the exact death toll had not been confirmed (BBC).
A local youth leader who reviewed the footage told the BBC he recognised several people from his community, including an elderly man from Gidan Zana village, and said families who spotted relatives in the video were relieved to know they were still alive. A local official told the BBC that attackers planted improvised explosive devices as they led abductees into the forest, and that a teenage boy was killed when one detonated as he tried to escape (BBC).
In a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu condemned the killings and abductions and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice. "Those who carried out this cowardly attack on defenceless Nigerians are enemies of peace and enemies of humanity, who will not go scot-free," the statement said, according to the BBC (BBC).
The attack is the latest sign of worsening insecurity in the border region: earlier this month police said 145 people had been rescued after being abducted from four other villages in the same area, according to the BBC, which also cited local officials raising concerns about jihadist groups entering communities in parts of north-western Nigeria and imposing religious restrictions on residents (BBC).
**Sources:** BBC, aljazeera.com
Source Reporters corrects errors promptly. Spotted something wrong? Tell us — read our editorial standards and corrections policy.