Yesterday, at least 60 women were reported to have been kidnapped by many armed gangs in Zamfara state.
The report has it that gunmen reportedly attacked three villages, burnt down several houses, and killed some villagers. The total number of casualties are not yet known. Some of the villagers also fled when they heard the gunshots.
It was also reported that the security forces resisted the gunmen, and killed many of them.
Zamfara police have confirmed the attacks, but refuted the casualty figures and the number of those abducted.
These raids started a week after a warning was issued by the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières on the rising violence in Nigeria’s north-west which is causing a humanitarian crisis.
Armed gangs now attack communities and kidnap villagers in Zamfara regularly for ransom, forcing people to flee their homes and farms to safety.
