NEWS- Local government officials in Nigeria’s North central Kaduna state have said that gunmen kidnapped more than 100 people between Saturday and Sunday from the region as the criminal gangs demanding ransom payments have become an almost daily occurrence in Nigeria, especially in the north of the country.
A local official told journalists that gunmen carried out an attack in Kajuru-Station village of Kaduna State, taking 87 people, including women and children and the assailants also broke into shops to steal food and other provisions and the officials said the kidnappings came the day after 16 others were taken in a separate attack in the nearby Dogon Noma community.
The Community Leader Tanko Wada Sarkin said five of the people returned after fleeing from the attackers through the bush where the bandits have attacked the community five times in recent days.
The events follow a mass kidnapping earlier this month of more than 280 students in Kaduna’s Kuriga town and the children are thought to be held hostage in the remote forests throughout the region.
The U.N. Nigerian Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Malick has issued a statement condemning the abduction and called for the immediate release of the victims and asked the Nigerian authorities to provide more job opportunities so the people don’t have to venture out and expose themselves to gangs and terrorists.
Additional Reporting by Associated Press
