The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has condemned the August 21 terrorist attacks on four communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
NSCIA described the killings and abductions as a ‘heinous and barbaric’ assault on innocent Nigerians and the sanctity of worship.
Under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Council also demanded the immediate deployment of all available resources to rescue scores of residents still believed to be in captivity following the attacks.
The NSCIA made the demand in a statement signed and issued on Monday by its Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, following simultaneous attacks on the Gbeji (Gidan-Zana), Kpenya, Giyan Gbasu and Dekara communities in Borgu Local Government Area.
According to the Council, about 30 people were killed in the attacks, while several others sustained injuries, some of them life-threatening. More than 60 worshippers were reportedly abducted when terrorists invaded the Central Mosque in Dekara during Jumu’at prayers.
Jimoh described the incident as particularly disturbing, stressing that the attack on worshippers represented an assault on both the lives of innocent Nigerians and their fundamental right to worship without fear.
‘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,’ he said.
The Council warned against attempts to portray insecurity in the country as a conflict directed exclusively at Christians, arguing that the Borgu attack demonstrated the need for Nigerians to confront terrorism collectively, regardless of religious affiliation.
‘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,’ Jimoh said.
The NSCIA questioned how long terrorists would continue to attack communities, kill residents and abduct citizens with what it described as ‘such audacity.’
Jimoh said, ‘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?
‘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 resolves and acts that enough is enough?’
The Council said the latest attack was particularly alarming because it was reportedly the third major assault on Dekara and neighbouring communities in recent times.
It said previous attacks had forced residents to flee their ancestral homes and seek refuge in other parts of Niger and Kwara states, as well as across Nigeria’s border in the Republic of Benin.
The NSCIA also linked the latest development to the security situation around the Kainji Lake National Park and surrounding forest corridors, which it said had increasingly been exploited by terrorists as operational bases and hostage-holding locations.
The Council recalled the August 5 rescue operation, in which Nigerian security forces reportedly freed 308 abducted persons from the Kainji Lake National Park forest.
According to the NSCIA, the rescued victims included 163 people abducted from Woro in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State and 145 persons abducted from communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, including Kasuwan Daji, Konkonso and Pissa.
Jimoh said the successful rescue operation showed what could be achieved when security agencies had adequate resources, intelligence, coordination and political backing.
He, however, expressed concern that the fresh attacks suggested that terrorists could still regroup and return to vulnerable communities.
‘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. But the renewed attacks raise deeply troubling questions about the reversal and sustainability of the gains made,’ he said.
NSCIA urged the Federal Government to move beyond what it described as episodic rescue operations and establish a permanent, intelligence-driven and community-centred security architecture capable of preventing terrorists from repeatedly returning to vulnerable communities.
It called for an immediate and comprehensive review of security arrangements across Niger and Kwara states and adjoining border communities, particularly areas around the Kainji Lake National Park and forest corridors.
The NSCIA also demanded the immediate mobilisation of security resources to locate and rescue every person still held captive following the August 21 attacks.
‘The rescue of these victims must be treated as an urgent national priority,’ Jimoh said.
The Council called for intensified aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, early-warning mechanisms and coordinated ground operations, stressing that forests and difficult terrains used as sanctuaries by terrorists should no longer be regarded as inaccessible.
It further urged the Federal Government to adequately equip and motivate security personnel deployed to vulnerable communities and to provide them with the tactical, operational and logistical resources required to protect civilians.
The NSCIA also called for stronger collaboration among state governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders, local communities and security agencies.
It urged authorities to protect residents who provide actionable intelligence and to properly regulate and integrate lawful community vigilante structures into broader early-warning and community-protection mechanisms.
The Council called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Council, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior, and all relevant security agencies to treat the Borgu attacks as a national emergency requiring immediate, coordinated action.
Jimoh said the Council mourned those killed in the attacks and sympathised with their families, while praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
He also urged the families of the abducted victims not to lose hope, assuring them of the Council’s solidarity.
‘Nigerians have every right to demand security, justice and accountability from those entrusted with protecting them,’ Jimoh said.
He urged Muslims in Niger State and across the country to remain steadfast in their faith and refuse to be intimidated by terrorists.
‘Let us be resolute and not be subdued by terror,’ he added.