Gunmen Kill 14 and Kidnap 60 in Northwestern Nigeria

Residents and a local leader in Nigeria reported that gunmen killed eight people today, Sunday, and kidnapped at least 60 others in two areas of Zamfara State in the northwest of the country. A police source and a vehicle driver who witnessed an attack elsewhere in northeastern Nigeria stated that suspected Islamic extremists ambushed a convoy of vehicles under military escort, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and four civilians. The witness added that the assailants set five vehicles on fire and seized a truck. President Bola Tinubu has not yet clarified how he will address the outbreak of insecurity. Zamfara experiences the highest number of ransom kidnappings in Nigeria, carried out by armed gangs locally known as bandits. A local leader, who requested anonymity for security reasons, stated that the gunmen split into three groups, one of which attacked the military base while the other two targeted the nearby areas of Magami and Kabasa. He added that the assailants kidnapped 60 people, mostly women and children.