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<p>Gunmen raided three villages in northwest Nigeria on Friday (May 10) night, kidnapping more than 100 people, the news agency Reuters reported on Saturday&nbsp;citing&nbsp;a district official and residents.&nbsp;Alhaji Bala, head of a district in the Birnin-Magaji local government area of Zamfara, told Reuters that gunmen attacked the villages of&nbsp;Gora, Madomawa, and Jambuzu.</p>

<p>Bala added that&nbsp;38 men and 67 women and children were missing.&nbsp;"But the number of people abducted could be more than that," he&nbsp;added. Reuters reported that&nbsp;Zamfara has been a hotspot for kidnapping gangs who carry out attacks and retreat into forests where they have set up camps.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Gunmen arrived on bikes, shot&nbsp;sporadically</strong></h2>

<p>Madomawa village head Aminu&nbsp;Aliyu Asha said on Saturday that gunmen arrived in his village on motorbikes and shot sporadically before kidnapping several people.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-200-abducted-schoolchildren-in-northwestern-nigeria-freed-after-two-weeks-703700">Over 200 abducted schoolchildren in northwestern Nigeria freed after two weeks</a></strong></p>

<p>"The abduction breaches the peace agreement between us and bandits. In February this year, we made several ransom payments in order to stop them from attacking our territory," Asha added.</p>

<p>A resident from Madomawa&nbsp;said that&nbsp;his two brothers were among those abducted, while&nbsp;another&nbsp;resident,&nbsp;said that among the abducted were 15 passengers in a lorry that was passing through&nbsp;Gora, Madomawa, and Jambuzu.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Kidnapping has become endemic in northwest&nbsp;region</strong></h2>

<p>Kidnapping incidents have become endemic in Nigeria's northwest region, as gangs are abducting&nbsp;people from villages, highways, and&nbsp;schools,&nbsp;and demanding ransom money from their relatives.</p>

<p>Mass kidnappings were first carried out by Boko Haram&nbsp;but&nbsp;now&nbsp;the practice&nbsp;has been adopted by armed gangs with no known ideological affiliation and has grown as Nigerians grapple with economic hardship.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Tanker explosion in Nigeria: People stranded for hours, many trapped in their vehicle</strong></p>

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<p>Friday's kidnappings came a day after at least nine students were kidnapped from their classrooms by gunmen at the&nbsp;Confluence University of Science and Technology in the state of&nbsp;Kogi.</p>

<p>Kingsley Femi Fanwo, Kogi's information commissioner, said the students were studying when gunmen attacked the university on Thursday night.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Gunmen raided three villages in northwest Nigeria on Friday (May 10) night, kidnapping more than 100 people, the news agency Reuters reported on Saturday citing a district official and residents.

Gunmen raided three villages in northwest Nigeria on Friday (May 10) night, kidnapping more than 100 people, the news agency Reuters reported on Saturday citing a district official and residents. Alhaji Bala, head of a district in the Birnin-Magaji local government area of Zamfara, told Reuters that gunmen attacked the villages of Gora, Madomawa, and Jambuzu. Bala added that 38 men and 67 women and children were missing. "But the number of people abducted could be more than that," he added. Reuters reported that Zamfara has been a hotspot for kidnapping gangs who carry out attacks and retreat into forests where they have set up camps. Gunmen arrived on bikes, shot sporadically Madomawa village head Aminu Aliyu Asha said on Saturday that gunmen arrived in his village on motorbikes and shot sporadically before kidnapping several people. Also read | Over 200 abducted schoolchildren in northwestern Nigeria freed after two weeks "The abduction breaches the peace agreement between us and bandits. In February this year, we made several ransom payments in order to stop them from attacking our territory," Asha added. A resident from Madomawa said that his two brothers were among those abducted, while another resident, said that among the abducted were 15 passengers in a lorry that was passing through Gora, Madomawa, and Jambuzu. Kidnapping has become endemic in northwest region Kidnapping incidents have become endemic in Nigeria's northwest region, as gangs are abducting people from villages, highways, and schools, and demanding ransom money from their relatives. Mass kidnappings were first carried out by Boko Haram but now the practice has been adopted by armed gangs with no known ideological affiliation and has grown as Nigerians grapple with economic hardship. Also watch | Tanker explosion in Nigeria: People stranded for hours, many trapped in their vehicle × Friday's kidnappings came a day after at least nine students were kidnapped from their classrooms by gunmen at the Confluence University of Science and Technology in the state of Kogi. Kingsley Femi Fanwo, Kogi's information commissioner, said the students were studying when gunmen attacked the university on Thursday night. (With inputs from agencies)

Kidnapping endemic in Nigeria: Gunmen abduct over 100 during raids on three villages

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Kidnapping endemic in Nigeria: Gunmen abduct over 100 during raids on three villages