In separate incidents in northern Nigeria, at least 12 individuals have been abducted, according to officials and witnesses on Saturday.
Late on Friday, in the initial occurrence, unidentified attackers abducted four individuals. The victims included the village leader of Nasarawa-Burkullu community in the northwestern state of Zamfara in Nigeria, local official Muhammad Bukuyum said on Saturday.
Bukuyum mentioned that the other individuals taken were three local farmers, and the perpetrators have requested a ransom, though no additional specifics were provided.
In a seperate incident, Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped eight farmers on Saturday from Maiwa village, situated approximately three kilometers away from Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state.
Mohammed Jida, who managed to escape from the attackers, recounted to media that he witnessed the insurgents encircling the farmers as they were tending to their fields.
“As I sighted them, I started running with others, scampering for safety. Luckily, I managed to escape but the rest of my colleagues were caught by Boko Haram.”
Greema Abubar and Bukar Kachallah, relatives of some of the victims, corroborated the attack, noting that the insurgents had requested a ransom, but details were not provided.
Armed groups, commonly referred to as bandits, have caused widespread chaos in northwest Nigeria in recent years. They have abducted thousands of individuals, resulting in hundreds of deaths and rendering road travel and farming unsafe in certain regions.
On Friday, Boko Haram released 49 women who had been abducted earlier in the week near Maiduguri. A state official facilitated their release by paying a ransom.
The militant group has been involved in the killing and abduction of farmers in Borno state, which is a stronghold for militancy and has served as the epicenter of a 14-year insurgency war in Nigeria.