Gunmen attacked a remote village in central Nigeria, killing eight people and kidnapping approximately 150 more in the country’s latest mass abduction, officials reported.
The attackers, riding motorbikes, stormed Kuchi village in Niger state on Friday night, resulting in the deaths of eight people and the abduction of about 150 villagers, according to local government chairman Aminu Najume, who spoke on Monday.
“They arrived on around 100 motorcycles, each carrying three men,” Najume detailed. “No help came throughout the three hours they spent operating in the village.”
A United Nations source corroborated the figure for the number kidnapped, while the Nigerian state rescue agency, SEMA, stated that more than 100 were abducted.
Boko Haram and its rival group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), frequently carry out abductions in northeastern Nigeria. Some militant groups have extended their reach to areas outside the northeast, including Niger state.
Najume, attributing the attack to bandits, criticized Nigerian security forces for failing to prevent these regular incursions.
“These killers usually come in from neighboring Kaduna state to operate in Niger and then return. They come in hundreds, and surprisingly, security personnel don’t see them while they are on their way. And when villagers alert them, they take no action,” he stated.
The Nigerian army claims it routinely conducts operations against gunmen in the region and rescues kidnap victims.
‘At the Mercy of Gunmen’
Large-scale kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria’s northwest and central states, where heavily armed gangs known locally as bandits often target remote villages.
While bandits have no ideological motivations and are driven by financial gain, there is growing concern over their increasing alliances with militants waging a 15-year insurgency in the northeast.
In response to these threats, many communities in northwest Nigeria have formed self-defense vigilante groups to combat bandits in remote areas with little state presence.
Najume reported that the gunmen killed four vigilantes and four villagers during the attack.
Amnesty International condemned the attack, stating on social media: “The invasion of the village by gunmen is yet another indication of the Nigerian authorities’ utter failure to protect lives.”
“The Nigerian authorities have left the rural communities of Niger state at the mercy of gunmen who kill and abduct people daily,” the organization added.
Amnesty International called on the authorities to prevent mass kidnappings and bring the perpetrators to justice.
