Gunmen abducted 61 villagers in northern Nigeria on Monday, residents said, just days after a separate attack by an armed gang left nearly 300 students missing.
Armed groups, known as local bandits, have plagued northern Nigeria for years, targeting villagers, motorists and schoolchildren for ransom payments.
The gunmen attacked the Buda community around midnight, firing shots to scare residents, according to witnesses. The kidnappings often occur in remote areas, leaving communities feeling helpless.
Resident Lawal Abdullahi said his wife was among those abducted. “My wife is among the 61 people those bandits kidnapped. We are still expecting them to call for ransom as usual,” Abdullahi said.
Buda is located 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Kuriga town, where schoolchildren were abducted last week. Kaduna state’s internal security commissioner and police spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
“We have been experiencing these attacks for a long time,” said another resident, Danjuma Sale. “The situation has become worse, forcing many residents and farmers from villages to flee to less dangerous places.”