Borgu Mosque attack: Niger PFN condemns abduction of worshippers, demands safe rescue

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, Niger State Chapter, has condemned the abduction of scores of Muslim worshippers during Jumu’at prayers in Borgu Local Government Area, describing the attack as an assault on the sanctity of places of worship and the conscience of Nigerians.

PFN State Chairman, Pastor PeteRock Sadiq, made the condemnation on Tuesday in Minna while addressing journalists on the growing security concerns in the state.

Armed men had reportedly invaded mosques in Dekara, Kpenya, Sabon-Gida and Gidan-Zana communities during Friday prayers on August 21, 2026, and abducted worshippers as they left the mosques.

Sadiq said reports indicating that the number of abducted persons could run into hundreds were deeply disturbing, urging the Federal and Niger State governments to intensify efforts to secure their immediate and safe release.

According to him, “A house of worship is sacred ground. It is where a people lay down their guard before God.”

“To storm it while people are on their knees, to turn a place of prayer into a place of capture, is an assault not only on those communities but on the conscience of everyone who believes in God.”

The PFN chairman stressed that the attack should not be viewed through a religious or political lens, insisting that violence against worshippers was unacceptable regardless of whether the victims were Christians or Muslims.

“Whether it is a mosque or a church, an attack on a place of worship is an attack on all of us. There is no political, ethnic or religious reading of this that makes it anything other than evil,” he insisted.

The cleric expressed solidarity with families in Borgu who were still waiting for information about their relatives, including fathers, sons, husbands and neighbours.

Sadiq called on the authorities to ensure that every abducted person was brought home safely, while urging churches across Niger State to dedicate prayers to the victims and their families.

He also commended Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and security agencies involved in efforts to rescue the victims, pledging the support of the Christian community for measures aimed at restoring security to vulnerable rural communities.