The abductors of worshippers kidnapped from a mosque in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State have yet to establish contact with the government, days after the attack, as authorities intensify efforts to rescue the victims.
The Niger State Commissioner for Information, Obed Nuhu, disclosed this on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television, saying the government had received no communication from the kidnappers since the worshippers were taken.
“No such contact with the kidnappers has happened. We have not had any interactions with them,” Nuhu said.
The commissioner also revealed that the state government was yet to establish the exact number of worshippers abducted during the attack, explaining that officials were still gathering information and verifying reports from the affected communities.
Nuhu said the attackers struck at three different locations within the Borgu area, raising concerns over the scale and coordination of the operation.
According to him, the government suspects that members of the Lakurawa group and Boko Haram militants could be behind the attacks, although he stressed that investigations were still ongoing and the identities of the perpetrators had not been conclusively established.
The failure of the kidnappers to contact the authorities has further complicated efforts to determine the whereabouts of the victims and establish whether any demands have been made for their release.
Nuhu said the government would not announce an unverified figure of abducted persons, insisting that officials needed to properly establish the facts before making the information public.
“We are still trying to ascertain the number of people that were taken. We do not want to give a figure that is not verified,” he said.
Following the attack, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago directed security agencies to intensify operations in the affected communities and work towards securing the safe release of the abducted worshippers.
The governor’s directive came amid growing concerns over the security situation in parts of the state and the increasing activities of armed groups operating around communities close to Nigeria’s borders.
At the federal level, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the military, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and other relevant security agencies to mount a coordinated operation aimed at locating and rescuing the abducted worshippers.
The President’s directive was disclosed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said security agencies had been instructed to work together to secure the victims and restore calm to the affected communities.
Security operations are now ongoing in the area as authorities continue to search for the abducted worshippers while attempting to determine the full circumstances surrounding the attacks.
With the kidnappers yet to make contact and the exact number of victims still being verified, families of those feared abducted remain anxious as security agencies race to locate the victims and bring them home safely.
The Niger State Government has meanwhile urged the public to remain calm while security agencies continue their operations and efforts to establish the complete details of the incident.