The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has condemned the terrorist attacks on four communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, saying the attack on Muslim worshippers observing Jumu’at prayers counters claims that insecurity in parts of Nigeria amounts to genocide against Christians.
The attacks, which occurred on Friday, August 21, 2026, affected Gbeji, Kpenya, Giyan Gbasu and Dekara communities, with residents and worshippers reportedly killed, injured and abducted.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, the NSCIA described the attacks as ‘heinous and barbaric’.
The Islamic body said the invasion of a mosque during Jumu’at prayers and the abduction of worshippers represented an assault on civilians and their right to practise their faith without fear.
‘The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, condemns in the strongest possible terms, the heinous and barbaric simultaneous terrorist attacks on Friday, August 21, 2026, four communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, where scores of innocent civilians were killed, injured and abducted, including worshippers observing the sacred Jumu’at prayers,’ the statement said.
‘The Council is deeply disturbed and traumatised that terrorists invaded Gbeji (Gidan-Zana), Kpenya, Giyan Gbasu and Dekara, unleashing violence and terror on defenceless communities.’
According to the council, the attack on Dekara was particularly disturbing because the assailants reportedly entered the Central Mosque while Muslims were observing Jumu’at prayers and abducted more than 60 people.
It added that about 30 people were reportedly killed, while several others sustained injuries, some of them said to be life-threatening.
The NSCIA said dozens of victims were still being held captive.
‘The NSCIA considers the deliberate invasion of a mosque during Jumu’at prayers and the abduction of worshippers a heinous assault not only on innocent Nigerians but also a grievous attack on the sanctity of worship and the fundamental right of citizens to practise their faith without fear,’ it said.
The council argued that the incident showed the complexity of insecurity in the country and challenged narratives that portray the violence as being exclusively targeted at Christians.
‘This horrendous savagery against innocent Muslims observing the Jumu’ah prayer also points to the factual error that the insecurity in parts of the country is genocidal against Christians, which would hinder the much needed collective efforts to tackle the scourge,’ the NSCIA declared.
The council said the continued attacks on the communities were unacceptable and questioned the ability of security agencies to prevent terrorists from repeatedly targeting vulnerable settlements.
‘These wanton violence, relentless bloodletting and deadly violations are utterly unacceptable,’ it said.
The NSCIA asked: ‘For how long will innocent Muslims in particular and Nigerians in general continue to be abducted and slaughtered in their communities while terrorists operate with such audacity?’
It further asked: ‘How many more Muslims and communities must be attacked before decisive action is taken? How many more families must lose their loved ones before the nation resolved and act that enough is enough?’
According to the council, the latest attack was reportedly the third major attack on Dekara and neighbouring communities in recent times.
It said previous attacks had forced residents to abandon their ancestral homes and seek refuge in other communities in Niger and Kwara states and even across the border in the Republic of Benin.
The NSCIA also expressed concern that the latest incident occurred barely three weeks after security forces reportedly rescued 308 abducted persons from the Kainji Lake National Park forest.
‘On August 5, 2026, Nigerian security forces reportedly rescued 308 abducted persons from the Kainji Lake National Park forest. The rescued victims included 163 persons abducted from Woro in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State and 145 persons from communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, including Kasuwan Daji, Konkonso and Pissa,’ it stated.
The council said the rescue operation demonstrated what security forces could achieve when adequate resources, intelligence, coordination and political will were available.
‘That rescue operation was rightly celebrated as a demonstration of what Nigeria’s security forces can accomplish when adequate resources, intelligence, coordination and political will are brought to bear,’ it said.
‘But the renewed attacks raise deeply troubling questions about the reversal and sustainability of the gains made.’
The NSCIA consequently urged the Federal Government to move beyond what it described as episodic rescue operations and develop a permanent, intelligence-driven and community-centred security architecture.
It called for an immediate review of security arrangements in Niger and Kwara states, particularly communities around the Kainji Lake National Park and forest corridors allegedly being used by terrorists.
‘We demand an immediate and comprehensive review of security arrangements across Niger, Kwara and adjoining border communities, particularly those around the Kainji Lake National Park and the extensive forest corridors that terrorists have exploited as operational and hostage-holding bases,’ it said.
‘We call for the immediate mobilisation of all available resources to locate and rescue every person still held captive following the August 21 attack.
‘The rescue of these victims must be treated as an urgent national priority.’
The council also urged security agencies to intensify aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, early-warning systems and coordinated ground operations.
‘Security agencies must intensify aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, early-warning systems and coordinated ground operations,’ it said.
‘The forests and other difficult terrains being used as sanctuaries by terrorists must no longer be treated as inaccessible spaces.’
The NSCIA further urged the Federal Government to ensure that security personnel deployed to vulnerable communities were adequately equipped and supported with the resources needed to protect civilians.
It called on state governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders and local communities to strengthen cooperation with security agencies and protect residents who provide actionable intelligence.
The council also advocated the proper regulation and integration of community vigilante structures operating within the law into broader early-warning and community-protection mechanisms.
Furthermore, it called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Council, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior and other relevant security agencies to treat the Borgu attacks as a national emergency requiring coordinated intervention.
Condoling the families of those killed and praying for the injured, the NSCIA expressed solidarity with families whose relatives remain in captivity.
‘We also stand in solidarity with the families whose loved ones remain in captivity and urge them not to lose hope,’ it said.
‘Nigerians have every right to demand security, justice and accountability from those entrusted with protecting them.’
The council also urged Muslims in Niger State and across the country to remain steadfast in their faith.
‘Let us be resolute and not be subdued by terror,’ it stated.