Nigeria Reports Over 45 Women, Children Kidnapped in Overnight Raids
(MENAFN) At least 45 women and children were abducted in a series of coordinated overnight assaults targeting five villages in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara State, local authorities confirmed Tuesday.
The latest wave of violence unfolded late Monday as armed assailants returned to Sabongarin Damri village and launched raids on nearby communities clustered within half a kilometer of each other. Shehu Musa, the traditional leader of Damri, told media by phone that the attackers seized dozens of villagers during the prolonged raid that extended into early Tuesday morning.
Security forces confronted the gunmen during the operation, reportedly killing three militants. Despite this, the attackers managed to escape with hostages and stolen livestock. Civilian casualties were also reported, though official figures on fatalities remain unconfirmed.
This incident marks the second significant kidnapping event in Zamfara in recent days. On Saturday, gunmen riding motorbikes killed 11 people and abducted at least 70 individuals—including women and children—in Sabongarin Damri.
Earlier media reports on July 28 revealed that bandits in Zamfara executed at least 38 hostages in March despite receiving ransom payments exceeding 50 million naira (about $33,000). These victims were part of a group of 56 abducted from Banga village in Kauran Namoda earlier this year. media also confirmed these kidnappings occurred in March.
Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal vowed swift justice in a statement, saying, “The government will not rest until every criminal involved in these atrocities is captured or neutralized.”
Kidnappings by criminal gangs and terrorist groups have long plagued Nigeria, with victims often held for extended periods as ransom demands mount. The crisis gained global prominence in 2014 when Boko Haram abducted hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok village in Borno State.
More recently, over 130 children and staff were kidnapped from a school in northern Kaduna State in March 2024 but were rescued by military forces days later.
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