ABUJA, Aug. 26 -- The video that circulated Sunday showed men and women seated in rows on the ground in a forested clearing. Children were visible among them. An armed man spoke in Hausa, directing the camera across the assembled captives: "These are all your people," he said. Families watching online reported identifying elders, relatives, wives, and children they had last seen leaving for Friday prayers in Dekera village two days before.

Up to 600 worshippers were taken from the mosque in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, in one of the largest mass kidnappings the country has recorded. Armed gunmen entered during the afternoon congregation on Friday, August 22, when the mosque was at its fullest. No group has claimed responsibility. ...