Nigeria launches hunt for hundreds of kidnapped mosque worshippers - Al Jazeera

Nigeria has launched a major security operation to rescue an estimated 600 worshippers kidnapped from a mosque near Dekera village in north-central Niger State last week.
President Bola Tinubu ordered the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, and other intelligence agencies to begin a coordinated rescue mission, which started Wednesday.
Kidnappers released a video on Sunday, circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp, showing a large group of captives held by armed men in a forested area, with children heard crying and a gunman addressing families in Hausa.
A local district official told Reuters that 30 people were killed in Friday's attacks and were buried on Sunday, though news agencies could not independently verify the video's exact date or location.
Amnesty International called on authorities to secure the worshippers' release, warning of the escalating threat of mass abductions in northern Nigeria, where kidnappings for ransom have risen sharply since the start of the year.
The issue has become politically charged ahead of Nigeria's presidential election in January, with security expected to be a central campaign theme; the presidency condemned the "cowardly attack" and pledged to bring those responsible to justice.