Two weeks after gunmen attacked the northwestern Nigerian village of Dekera, killing dozens and abducting hundreds, families say they remain without information about their loved ones and are increasingly frustrated by the lack of government updates.
Residents said about 600 people, mostly women, children and elderly people, were abducted from Dekera and nearby Gidan Zana and Sabon Gida communities during the August 22 attack. They also said at least 40 people were killed and several homes were burned.
Isa Zaki, a Dekera resident who has 10 members of his extended family among those abducted, said the kidnappers had not contacted the families since the raid.
“We haven’t heard anything from the kidnappers since the abduction,” Zaki told Reuters by telephone.
The attack has compounded years of insecurity in the area, which residents say has forced schools and markets to close and driven many people from their homes.
“People have fled, soldiers have taken over the town, houses have been burnt, there is nowhere to live, and it is raining,” Zaki said.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered security agencies to rescue the hostages, but authorities have provided few details about the operation.
Niger State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said authorities had no new information to share.
“We have no update yet. When we have, we will share accordingly,” he said.
For some families, the uncertainty has been especially painful.
Civil servant Habibu Salihu said his sister, her husband and their three children, including a newborn, were abducted. Seven other members of his family were killed during the attack.
Salihu said he later saw his sister breastfeeding her baby in a video released by the kidnappers, but has heard nothing since.
“We have no information on what is going on. No one is telling us anything and we have no idea what action the government is taking to rescue the hostages,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Analysts suspect a breakaway faction linked to Boko Haram may have been involved, although the Islamist militant group has traditionally operated mainly in northeastern Nigeria.
Authorities in neighbouring Benin have confirmed that some people fled across the border following the attack, without giving figures.
The deployment of soldiers has provided some reassurance to residents, but many displaced families remain without food or shelter.
“Our town has been burnt,” said Aminu Inuwa, who lost two brothers. “I have only one shirt, no food to eat, nothing else and our houses are nothing but ashes.”
The mass abduction has renewed concerns about the scale of criminal kidnapping in northern Nigeria, where armed groups frequently abduct people for ransom. The violence is also adding to security concerns as Nigeria approaches a national election next year.
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