ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen have kidnapped dozens of people in northwestern Nigeria, residents and police told The Associated Press on Tuesday, in the latest mass kidnapping in the region.
Gunmen kidnapped at least 50 people, including several women and children, in the Maradun area of Zamfara state over the weekend, residents said.
Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar confirmed that the kidnapping had taken place but did not provide further details.
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No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Locals have blamed bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the conflict-ridden northern region, most of whom are former herders in conflict with established communities.
Halliru Attahiru, a community leader in Maradun whose niece is among those kidnapped, said the gunmen’s raid lasted more than two hours.
“Several women and small children were kidnapped,” Attahiru said. “The government has yet to take action.”
The gunmen have not contacted the families of those abducted, Tasiu Hamisu, another resident whose relatives were among those abducted, told the Associated Press.
“There was a house where 20 people were kidnapped,” Hamisu said. The armed men operated with impunity, without any security presence to repel them, he added.
Kidnappings have become common in parts of northwestern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups are taking advantage of the limited security presence to carry out attacks on villages and along main roads. Most victims are only released after paying a ransom, which can sometimes run into the thousands of dollars.
In March, more than 130 schoolchildren were rescued after spending more than two weeks in captivity in neighboring Kaduna state.
The military is stepping up efforts to tackle security challenges in the country’s northern regions, Nigeria’s army chief Olufemi Oluyede said on Monday.
The mass kidnapping of 276 Chibok schoolgirls a decade ago marked the beginning of a new era of fear – with nearly 100 of the girls still in captivity in 2024.
At least 1,500 students have been abducted since the Chibok kidnappings, as armed groups increasingly find in them a lucrative way to finance other crimes and control villages in the country’s mineral-rich but poorly policed northwestern region.
