In a coordinated assault by gunmen on four villages in Nigeria’s northwest Zamfara state, at least 150 individuals, including women and children, were reportedly abducted, resulting in one casualty, according to residents on Saturday.
The surge in kidnapping for ransom has plagued northwestern Nigeria in recent years, with armed groups, often known locally as bandits, targeting villages, schools, and travelers. Their demands for hefty sums in ransom have made road travel and farming unsafe in some areas.
Residents recounted that dozens of gunmen on motorcycles raided the villages of Mutunji, Kwanar-Dutse, Sabon-Garin Mahuta, and Unguwar Kawo in the Maru local government area, as stated to media.
Dankandai Musa, a resident from one of the villages, managed to escape during the chaos but disclosed that 20 members of his household were captured. “I fled while they were dragging us to the bush,” he recounted.
A local village leader disclosed that Lawali Damana, the alleged leader of the assailants, demanded 100 million naira ($119,000) in retaliation for the killing of four of his men by Nigerian troops.
This led to the abduction of over a hundred individuals, with one casualty during the hostage-taking process, stated the village head, who opted for anonymity out of fear for safety.
Nigeria grapples with multifaceted security challenges, including a longstanding Islamist insurgency in the northeast, separatist tensions in the southeast, and frequent violent clashes between farmers and herders in the central region.
President Bola Tinubu’s strategy for addressing the insecurity remains unspecified. His economic reforms, such as the removal of a costly petrol subsidy and currency policy changes, have significantly escalated living costs, causing discontent among citizens.
