More Than 80 Abducted in Weekend Attacks in Northern Nigeria
More than 80 people, mostly women, have been reported missing after armed gangs carried out separate attacks in Nigeria’s northern states of Niger and Zamfara over the weekend.
At least 47 farmers were abducted on Saturday while harvesting peanuts in Rimi, an agricultural community in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, according to security reports seen by AFP and a local source. Most of those taken were reportedly women.
On Sunday, another 40 women were reportedly kidnapped in Yargada, in the Gusau area of neighbouring Zamfara State, according to a security report prepared for the United Nations and seen by AFP.
Residents said armed men on motorcycles attacked communities and burned homes during the Zamfara raid. Two local sources said the attack may have been carried out in retaliation after community vigilantes killed several members of the armed groups. The claims could not be independently verified.
The latest abductions add to a worsening pattern of mass kidnapping in northwestern and north-central Nigeria, where armed groups commonly target rural communities for ransom and also engage in cattle rustling.
The attacks come just days after residents in Niger State protested over another mass kidnapping in Borgu, where locals estimate that hundreds of people remain in captivity more than a month after the August 21 attacks. Authorities have not independently confirmed the higher estimates.
The latest incidents also come amid renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s security response, with kidnapping remaining a major concern for communities across the country.
