Unidentified Gunmen Kill 11, Kidnap 80 In Separate Attacks In Nigeria

At least 11 people were killed and 80 others kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on Monday in the northwest of Nigeria, according to a report by the news agency Reuters.

This was the latest in a series of attacks by armed gangs which prey on public places such as schools, parks, and villages as per the witnesses and local sources. These armed gangs mostly kidnap people for ransom.

One of the worst-hit states in the country Zamfara, has seen growing attacks as the presidential elections loom close. Bandits kidnapped almost 50 people, mostly women, from Masu village, one of their regular targets. "We had over 50 married women being abducted along with quite an unknown number of innocent farmers," Reuters quoted Sarkin Fawa Masu, a community leader, as saying.

Ismail Jinjiri, whose wife was among those taken, told the news agency that the men stormed the village on Monday, rounded up dozens of women along with a few men, and disappeared into the jungle. Some women were released later, while two men who were beaten up have been admitted to the Bukkuyum General Hospital. The gunmen still hold 27 people captive.

Local administrator Bashiru Muawiya Mesudan said that the local authorities were still taking stock of the situation. Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu was unavailable for comment.

In a separate attack, 20 people from the Zonai community in Gusau were kidnapped for ransom, the village head Lawali Abdullahi Zonai told Reuters, adding that some managed to escape.

Bandits are one of the biggest menaces of Nigeria, alongside the terror outfit Boko Haram. On 28 March this year, a train traveling to Kaduna from Abuja was ambushed by these gunmen, resulting in the kidnapping of dozens, while an unconfirmed number of people were killed, Al Jazeera reported. A few days before this incident, bandits had stormed the Kaduna airport in a shock attack, killing an official.

The situation has spiraled to such levels, that the president of the country has also not been spared from this menace. Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari himself fell victim to one of these attacks when his convoy was ambushed in Katsina, in July this year.