On 22 August 2026, a violent attack occurred during Friday prayers in central Nigeria, targeting worshippers in the village of Binzi and the Kpenya Mosque in Dekara district. According to federal representative Jafaru Mohammed, the assault involved jihadist groups identified as Lakuwara and Mahmuda, who used firearms, knives, and machetes.
The exact number of victims remains undisclosed, with a federal representative stating the toll was unknown. Survivors described the chaos. Jibril Ahmad, a civilian who escaped, recounted that the attack began soon after prayers concluded.
He stated that militants from Lakuwara, numbering in the hundreds, initiated the assault, killing some individuals and claiming they were not adhering to the “true teachings of Islam.” Ahmad’s account was corroborated by a resident who told Reuters the operation appeared coordinated, affecting Dekara and three other communities simultaneously. The Kpenya Mosque was stormed at approximately 2 p.m. by armed men, as confirmed by police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun.
He noted that no lives were lost during the initial attack but acknowledged that over 60 worshippers were abducted. Abiodun emphasized that a joint security detachment had been deployed to the area for assessment and rescue operations. The police statement did not specify the number of those taken, only that the figure exceeded 60. The attack is part of a broader pattern of violence linked to Nigeria’s 17-year insurgency.
Jihadist groups have increasingly targeted religious gatherings as a tactic, a method also seen in the 2014 Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping. The decentralized nature of the conflict has allowed militants to expand their operations beyond the northeast, where the crisis is most entrenched, into western regions.
This shift is attributed to the movement of armed groups from the Sahel, exploiting areas with weaker security presence. Local authorities have faced challenges in responding due to the underfunded and overstretched security forces. President Bola Tinubu recently announced pay raises and mass recruitment to address these issues.
The latest incident follows the rescue of 163 captives, including women and children, from jihadi captivity in Ilorin last month. The freed individuals were handed over by security forces, though details on their liberation from the Kainji Lake National Park remain unclear.
Tinubu described the operation as the largest single-day rescue in Nigeria’s history, pledging intensified efforts against armed groups.
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