Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered the military and other security agencies on Tuesday to launch an immediate rescue operation after scores of people were kidnapped by gunmen in north-central Niger State last week.

An armed group posted a video on Facebook and WhatsApp showing what residents said were about 600 women, children and older people abducted during an attack on a mosque in the state.

Reuters could not independently verify the figure, but if confirmed it would rank among Nigeria's largest and most audacious mass kidnappings in recent years.

In its first public comments on the incident, the presidency condemned the attack as cowardly and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.

"Terror will not cow Nigeria. We will defend our people, protect our communities and uphold the sanctity of human life," Tinubu said in a statement.

Tinubu directed security chiefs to provide regular updates on efforts to rescue the abductees and account for all those taken.

Mass abductions for ransom have become common in parts of northwestern and north-central Nigeria, where heavily armed criminal gangs frequently raid villages, schools and highways. The groups often hold captives for weeks or months while demanding large ransoms and have increasingly expanded their operations beyond traditional strongholds in the north.