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Armed terrorists abducted more than 80 people in two separate attacks in northern Nigeria over the weekend, according to security reports and a local source.
On Saturday, at least 47 farmers were seized while harvesting peanuts in Rimi, an agricultural community in the Mariga area of Niger State, a local source said. Most of those taken were women.
On Sunday, 40 women were kidnapped in Yargada, in the Gusau area of Zamfara State, according to a security report prepared for the United Nations and seen by AFP.
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The perpetrators belong to gangs that specialise in ransom kidnappings and cattle rustling, locally known as “bandits.”
Such groups have for years carried out raids on rural communities in northwestern and central Nigeria, killing residents and setting homes ablaze after looting them.
Kidnapping has become a key source of income for criminal groups in Nigeria, including jihadist factions and bandit gangs.
A report by Nigerian consultancy SBM Intelligence published in August found that kidnappers collected N7.78 billion ($5.2 million) in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026, more than triple the amount paid in the previous period.
According to the report, the JAS faction, an offshoot of Boko Haram, accounted for approximately 90 percent of ransom payments, driven largely by two mass abductions — the kidnapping of 416 people in Ngoshe, Borno State, and 315 pupils and staff from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State.
