- Gunmen abducted roughly 100 people, including women and children, in Kaduna state.
- Kidnappings by criminal groups demanding ransoms are rampant in Nigeria, especially in the north.
- Security forces are responding to rescue the abducted villagers.
- These incidents compound the distress in Kaduna state, reflecting a broader security crisis.
Gunmen in Nigeria have kidnapped around 100 individuals, including women and children, in two separate attacks over the weekend in Kaduna state, according to residents and police reports on Monday.
The incidents are reflective of the escalating security challenges faced by the country, with kidnappings by criminal groups demanding ransoms becoming alarmingly frequent, particularly in the northern regions, where authorities appear to struggle in curbing such activities.
Kaduna state police spokesperson, Mansur Hassan, confirmed the abduction incident in Kajuru Station village on Sunday night but refrained from providing an exact figure of those missing. However, he assured that security forces have been mobilized to rescue the villagers.
Tanko Wada Sarkin, a local village head, disclosed that as many as 87 people were taken during the raid. “We have so far recorded the return of five individuals back home who managed to flee through the bush,” he informed Reuters via phone interview. Sarkin highlighted that this attack marked the fifth instance of bandit raids on the community.
Residents recounted armed assailants donning military attire, who infiltrated the village undetected by parking their motorcycles away from the settlement.
Aruwa Ya’u, another resident, shared his harrowing experience of being captured but subsequently released by the gunmen due to his poor health condition. He is currently undergoing treatment at a local government clinic.
Perpetrators of such abductions are known to force their victims into remote areas, often holding them captive for extended periods while awaiting ransom payments.
These abductions come in the wake of recent similar incidents, including the seizure of 286 students and staff from a school in Kuriga earlier in March, and the abduction of 61 individuals from Buda community on March 12, both within Kaduna state.
Additionally, in Dogon Noma, another community in Kajuru local government area, gunmen abducted 16 people from their homes during an attack on Saturday night, according to residents.
The phenomenon of school kidnappings, initially associated with jihadist group Boko Haram, has since been adopted by criminal gangs for financial gain, causing immense distress to affected families and communities. The trend often compels families to exhaust their savings and assets to secure the release of their loved ones.
