Niger boils as 700 remain in captivity one month after abduction

There was tension in Niger State on Monday as residents took to the streets to protest the abduction of hundreds of people who they said remained in captivity a month after gunmen attacked several communities in the state.

The protesters, from Dekara and neighbouring communities in Borgu district, converged on the local government headquarters in New Bussa to demand the release of the captives.

Recall that armed men abducted about 600 people, mostly women, children and the elderly from the Borgu area of the state.

DAILY POST reports that Borgu, roughly 300 km from Minna, the state capital, lies along Nigeria’s ⁠border with the Republic of Benin to the west.

The protest increases pressure on the administration of President Bola Tinubu to address insecurity, an issue ravaging the country.

It will also be recalled that the President had ordered an immediate rescue operation after the August 21 attacks, however, the kidnap victims have yet to be found.

Speaking, the Niger State Commissioner for Information Obed Nuhu Nana, “Security agencies have been mobilised, but we are yet to get any response from them. The government is definitely making efforts to rescue the people.”