Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published August 23, 2026
NIGER STATE, Nigeria — A brutal jihadist assault on Muslim communities in central Nigeria has left dozens dead or kidnapped after heavily armed militants attacked worshippers moments after Friday prayers, accusing villagers of not practicing what they called the “true teachings” of Islam.
The coordinated attacks struck the neighboring villages of Dikera and Binzi in Borgu Local Government Area, where survivors say hundreds of militants armed with rifles, machetes, and knives descended on civilians shortly after congregational prayers had ended.
Worshippers became targets
Survivor Jibril Ahmad described scenes of terror as the attackers surrounded the villages and began executing residents while shouting accusations that the communities had abandoned authentic Islamic teachings.
“Soon after finishing the normal Friday prayer, the armed group attacked us… They slaughtered some of our people, saying we are not practicing the true teachings,” Ahmad told AFP.
Local lawmaker Jafaru Mohammed confirmed that many victims were killed while others—including village leaders, young men, and heads of households—were abducted and marched into nearby forests. The exact death toll remains unclear as rescue operations continue.
Jihadists have kidnapped and slaughtered scores of people in an attack during Friday prayers in central Nigeria. File image shows a Nigerian jihadist in 2014
Rival jihadists turn their guns on each other
In a dramatic twist, the massacre was interrupted when members of another militant faction known as Mahmuda confronted the attacking Lakurawa fighters. Survivors say the clash between the two extremist groups created enough chaos for some villagers to escape.
Mohammed said ideological differences between the rival jihadist organizations sparked the firefight, though many captives had already been taken deep into the surrounding bush before the confrontation began.
Growing extremist threat in western Nigeria
Security experts say the Lakurawa militant group has expanded rapidly across Nigeria’s northwestern frontier near the borders of Benin, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Initially presenting itself in some communities as a force against banditry, the organization has increasingly been accused of imposing harsh religious rule, conducting kidnappings, seizing livestock, and murdering civilians who reject its ideology.
The attack underscores how Nigeria’s 17-year jihadist insurgency has evolved beyond assaults on Christians and government targets, with extremist groups increasingly persecuting fellow Muslims deemed insufficiently devout.
🧩 Bottom Line:
The horror unfolding in Nigeria should remind the world that terrorism has never been about protecting faith—it has always been about controlling people through fear. When jihadist groups begin executing fellow Muslims for being “not religious enough,” they expose the emptiness of the ideology they claim to defend. Innocent families, imams, farmers, and children become victims not because of what they have done, but because extremists demand absolute obedience.
What makes this especially heartbreaking is that many of these communities have already endured years of war, displacement, and unimaginable loss. They are caught between ruthless terrorists and the daily struggle to survive, while much of the world rarely notices unless another massacre makes headlines.
No civilization should become desensitized to this kind of violence. Whether the victims are Christian or Muslim, Nigerian lives deserve the same attention, compassion, and determination from the international community. Evil does not discriminate forever—it eventually consumes everyone who refuses to surrender to it.
SOURCES: REDSTATE – Jihadis in Nigeria Are Now Attacking Other Muslims for Insufficient Zeal
DAILYMAIL ONLINE – Jihadists slaughter and kidnap dozens of people for ‘not practicing the true teachings of Islam’ during Friday prayers in Nigeria
