Key Points
- Armed gunmen kidnapped 46 people, including women and children.
- Attackers torched homes and food silos, residents reported.
- Security forces averted further destruction of the town.
Residents and a local traditional leader reported on Tuesday that at least 46 persons, including women and children, were abducted during a raid on Gana town in northwest Zamfara state, Nigeria, on Sunday night.
Dozens abducted in late-night raid on Gana town
Residents say that dozens of gunmen on motorcycles fired into the neighborhood at around 10 p.m. local time, burning down homes and businesses. Yazid Abubakar, the spokesperson for the Zamfara police, could not be reached for comment.
Armed gangs, commonly known as bandits, have been committing murders and kidnappings in northwest Nigeria on a regular basis. Locals, farmers, students, and drivers are among the victims, who are regularly kidnapped.
Alhaji Garba Haure, a traditional elder, claimed that government security personnel stepped in to stop the attackers from destroying the entire town.
There have been 46 men, women, and children kidnapped in total, and the number is still growing, Haure stated, noting that no fatalities had been reported during the assault.
Residents report homes, food stores set ablaze by attackers
According to Reuters, a resident named Bala Harauma narrated that there may have been more people kidnapped. According to Harauma, six prisoners broke free early on Monday while the assailants were relocating the hostages. Yusuf Mohammed, another local, said the attackers set fire to dozens of homes and food-storage silos.
Locals reported that when a ransom was paid, captives from a similar mass kidnapping in December were freed.
