Nigeria reports 87 abducted as police find human remains
AFP reported the abductions in Niger and Zamfara states. Police in Abia said raids on camps linked to criminal groups uncovered 28 skulls and bones suspected to belong to kidnapping victims.
At least 87 people were reported abducted in two weekend attacks in Nigeria, according to AFP, which cited two security reports and a local source. The reports describe 47 farmers and 40 women as missing.
Armed men abducted the farmers while they harvested peanuts in Mariga, Niger State, on Saturday. On Sunday, 40 women were kidnapped in Yargada, Zamfara State.
Separately, Abia police said a raid on camps linked to criminal groups in forest areas uncovered 28 human skulls and bones. Police said the remains were suspected to belong to kidnapping victims; their identities and cause of death have not been established. Suspects had fled, and police said efforts to apprehend them were under way.
The attacks add to a pattern of ransom kidnappings and cattle rustling by armed groups known locally as “bandits” in parts of north-western and north-central Nigeria. The report says security is expected to be a major issue ahead of January’s presidential election.
