Gunmen invaded a village in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna and kidnapped 18 residents including seven children, a community leader said on Tuesday, the latest in a wave of mass abductions disrupting every aspect of life in the region, APA reports citing Reuters.
Gangs of ransom seekers have been kidnapping children from their schools, villagers from their homes and travellers from their vehicles across northwest Nigeria since last December.
Mallam Suleiman Keke, a community leader in the village of Keke B on the outskirts of the state capital Kaduna, said gunmen on motorbikes arrived late on Monday night and went from house to house seizing children and their parents.
"It was a terrifying experience for us," he said, adding that the kidnappers had not yet sent a ransom demand.
A spokesman for the police in Kaduna State could not be reached for comment.
Kaduna is among several states that have adopted measures to try to curb the attacks, such as banning the sale of fuel in jerry cans and the transport of firewood in trucks to stop armed gangs who travel by motorbike and camp in remote areas.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
