Story perspectives

Armed Men Abduct 60 Worshippers in Kpenya Mosque Attack

8/24/2026

Summary

Police Rescue Abductees

Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said armed men stormed Kpenya Mosque during Friday prayers.
Council chair Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir reported 60 worshippers abducted, some with gunshot wounds.
Police said no deaths, though residents claimed several were killed, a claim unverified.
Reports identified the gunmen as Lakurawa, with some suggesting Ansaru or Mahmuda fighters.
Security detachments deployed, facing a collapsed bridge, rugged terrain and landmines that slowed rescue of 100 abducted people.

Summary

Rescue Team Liberates

Rescue freed 163 people from Kainji Lake National Park, part of 308 liberated in the operation.
Hospital chief Ahmed Bola Abdulkadir reported severe malnutrition, skin diseases and fractures among rescued captives.
Nurse Amira Salihu delivered over a dozen babies by torchlight, using a borrowed razor blade.
Survivors still need blood transfusions and ongoing psychological trauma care, according to hospital staff.

History

Historical Context

In April 2014 Boko Haram seized 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, prompting global #BringBackOurGirls protests, UN condemnation, and a Nigerian military response that deployed over 5,000 troops and secured $1 billion in aid. The pattern of large-scale kidnappings resurfaced in 2018 at Dapchi and now with the Kpenya Mosque raid, as splinter groups such as Ansaru copy Boko Haram’s tactics, underscoring ongoing insecurity in northern Nigeria.

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Police Rescue Abductees

Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said armed men stormed Kpenya Mosque during Friday prayers.
Council chair Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir reported 60 worshippers abducted, some with gunshot wounds.
Police said no deaths, though residents claimed several were killed, a claim unverified.
Reports identified the gunmen as Lakurawa, with some suggesting Ansaru or Mahmuda fighters.
Security detachments deployed, facing a collapsed bridge, rugged terrain and landmines that slowed rescue of 100 abducted people.

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