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Armed criminal gangs on motorcycles kidnapped approximately 12 children near Maigujeri in Niger State, central Nigeria, residents and security sources reported on Sunday.
The gunmen ambushed the children as they returned from harvesting maize on their Quranic school teacher’s farm.
A security report indicated that 18 children were taken, while local sources placed the number closer to 12 and reported that one child suffered gunshot wounds during the attack.
The incident marks the latest in a wave of mass abductions carried out by heavily armed gangs, locally known as bandits, who have intensified raids, kidnappings, and cattle theft across Niger State.
The state’s police have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding rescue operations.
Criminal networks in the region have increasingly targeted rural communities during harvest seasons, often forging links with terrorist groups operating across northwestern and central Nigeria.
Previous mass kidnappings in Niger State include the abduction of 47 farmers in September, 50 children in August, and over 250 Catholic boarding school students in Papiri late last year.
