BBC reported that Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered a manhunt for armed kidnappers after deadly attacks on four villages in Niger State last Friday.

Local residents said several mosques were targeted during prayers, and a local youth leader estimated as many as 500 people may have been abducted, though that figure is unverified.

Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said more than 40 people were killed, but the toll has not been independently confirmed.

The attackers released a video on social media showing people they claimed were abducted last week seated in a forest.

Authorities had previously suspected the assailants were bandits, criminal gangs that kidnap and loot for ransom across parts of Nigeria. No ransom demands have been reported.

The villages attacked were Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida and Masaka.

Tinubu condemned the killings and abductions in a statement issued through presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, and said those responsible would be brought to justice.