Worshippers locked in Nigeria mosque and set on fire

At least 11 worshippers have been killed and dozens others injured after a man attacked a mosque in Nigeria's northern Kano state, police say.

A man allegedly sprayed the mosque with petrol and locked its doors before setting it on fire, trapping about 40 worshippers, they said.

The attack was triggered by a family dispute over the sharing of inheritance.

Police say they have arrested a 38-year-old suspect.

The incident happened when people were attending morning prayers on Wednesday in Gezawa area of Kano state.

Residents said flames engulfed the mosque after the attack with worshippers heard wailing as they struggled to open the locked doors.

After hearing the explosion, neighbours rushed to help those trapped inside, local media reported.

Rescue teams including bomb experts from Kano were immediately deployed in response to the attack, a police statement said.

Police later confirmed that a bomb was not used in the attack.

The Fire Service in Kano said they were not called immediately the fire started, adding that they could have brought the situation under control much faster.

Kano Fire Service spokesman Saminu Yusuf told the BBC that they got reports of the incident after locals had put out the fire.

“In a situation like this, people are supposed to call us but we didn't get any call from the location until after normalcy had returned,” Mr Yusuf added.

Police said the suspect confessed that his actions were part of a dispute over inheritance, claiming he was targeting some family members who were inside the mosque.

“What happened is not associated with any act of terrorism, rather it was a skirmish that arose as a result of inheritance distribution," Umar Sanda, a local police chief, told journalists after visiting the scene.

"It is really unfortunate,” Mr Sandahe added.

“The suspect is presently with us and is giving out useful information."

Initial reports said one worshipper had died from the attack but the death toll later rose after more victims died while receiving treatment at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano.

More victims, including children, are still receiving treatment at the hospital, according to police.

By Wycliffe Muia & Mansur Abubakar, BBC

Gunmen kidnap 9 students in Nigeria

At least nine students have been abducted by gunmen during a late-night raid on their school in northern Nigeria’s Kogi state, authorities said Friday, the third such abduction amid rampant kidnappings targeting schools in the conflict-hit region this year.

The assailants invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology in Kogi state, which neighbors the nation’s capital, Abuja, and whisked away the students from their classrooms before security forces could arrive, according to Kogi Commissioner for Information Kingsley Femi Fanwo.

The state has “activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended,” Fanwo added.

The official said local hunters were helping security forces in “combing” the school area, which is surrounded by bushes in the remote Osara town.

Nigeria has struggled with several mass school kidnappings since the first such incident in 2014 when Islamic extremists abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from the northeastern Chibok village, sparking the global #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign.

A t least 1,400 Nigerian students have since been abducted from their schools in similar circumstances, including at least 130 children abducted from their school in Kuriga town in the northern Kaduna state in March. Some are still held captive, including nearly 100 of the Chibok girls.

By Chinedu Asadu, AP

Related story: Video - Gunmen abduct over 100 people in Zamfara state, Nigeria

 

Terrorists attack military camp, kill five soldiers, injure 11 others in Nigeria

Five soldiers of the Nigerian Army were killed and 11 others injured on Sunday afternoon by terrorists who attacked a military camp in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

A member of a vigilante group, Aliyu Tukur, 30, was also killed in the attack, according to a military internal memo seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

“Terrorist attack on military camp causing grievous hurt and death of military personnel,” the memo stated.

According to the memo, the incident occurred at about 2 p.m. on Sunday when over 200 terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons and led by a terrorism kingpin, Ado Aleiru, attacked the military camp situated at the village of Yar Malamai.

“On receipt of the information, Supol Faskari, proceeded to the scene with his team and engaged the bandits on a gun battle as reinforcement (of) Air Components were also called upon and responded promptly.

“The battle lasted for over two hours after intervention from the Air Force; sadly five soldiers and one vigilante by name Aliyu Tukur, 30 years (old), of the same address, lost their lives.

“Eleven soldiers sustained different degrees of gunshot injuries, all the injured were rushed to hospital by the military, all the corpses were also removed.

“The attack led to the withdrawal of all the remaining military personnel from the village to a nearby camp 25 kilometres away situated at Ali Kere village due to heavy casualty recorded.

“The bandits also suffered heavy casualties but have succeeded in removing them away from the scene (sic). Residents of the area are currently migrating.

“Investigation has commenced further development would be communicated above for your information, please,” the internal memo stated. 

By Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu, Premium Times

Related story: Gunmen abduct over 100 people in Zamfara state, Nigeria

Video - Gunmen abduct over 100 people in Zamfara state, Nigeria

The incident marks the latest mass kidnapping incident in the northwestern state of Zamfara. A district head and residents said on Saturday that three villages were targeted in the Friday night raids.

CGTN

Related story: Video - Abductions in Nigeria surge despite raft of measures by authorities

 

 

14 kidnapped University students rescued

Fourteen students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara in Kogi State, abducted by bandits on Thursday night, have been rescued

Bethrand Onuoha, the commissioner of police in the North-central State, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lokoja.

The CUSTECH students had been abducted by the bandits who invaded the institution while they were reading for their first semester examination slated to commence 13 May .

“A combined team of security operatives, including local hunters, who ran after the bandits, successfully rescued 14 of the kidnapped students.

“One of the rescued students told us that 24 students were captured.

“The security operatives will not relent. We are determined to get the remaining students back alive and unhurt,” Onuoha said.

Kingsley Fanwo, the commissioner for information, who also confirmed the rescue, said the 14 students were getting the required attention.

He expressed joy that the rescue came hours after Gov Usman Ododo visited the institution and assured parents of his readiness to rescue everyone taken.

“Our local vigilante men and security agents engaged the kidnappers in a fierce shootout and the kidnappers fled. Some escaped with gun wounds.

“They fled and left the kidnapped students who also ran in different directions to avoid being caught up in the fire exchange.

“Many of the students kidnapped, and even other people in captivity, have been rescued and taken to medical facilities for proper attention.

“Some were rescued in the early hours of today.

“The security agents are currently combing the forests to ensure that all the kidnapped students are found and brought home safely.

“It is unfortunate, however, that in the sporadic gun battle to rescue the students, a local hunter and a security operative sustained injuries. They are currently receiving medical attention,” he said.

The commissioner, however, commended the local hunters and the conventional security agents for their bravery and gallantry.

According to him, the success recorded so far was made possible by the support of Ododo who is bent on securing every Kogi resident.

He urged residents to report anyone with gun wounds to law enforcement agents.

Premium Times

Related story: Woman rescued 10 years after kidnap by Boko Haram in Nigeria

Senate in Nigeria proposes death penalty for drug trafficking

Nigeria's Senate on Thursday proposed significantly toughening penalties for drug trafficking, making the death penalty the new maximum sentence through a law amendment.

The amendment, which is not yet law, replaces life imprisonment, which was previously the harshest punishment.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country of more than 200 million people, has in recent years gone from being a transit point for illegal drugs to a full-blown producer, consumer and distributor.

Opioid abuse, especially tramadol and cough syrups containing codeine, has been widespread throughout Nigeria, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, which banned production and import of codeine cough syrup in 2018.

While cannabis is cultivated locally, cocaine, methamphetamine and other narcotics are trafficked through the country alongside opioids to feed a growing addiction problem.

The legislation stemmed from a report by the Senate committees on judiciary, human rights and legal matters, and drugs and narcotics, which Senator Mohammed Monguno presented during Thursday's plenary session.

Supporters argued the threat of execution would serve as a stronger deterrent to drug traffickers than life imprisonment.

Lawmakers who opposed the measure expressed concerns about the irreversible nature of the death penalty and the possibility of wrongful convictions.

The House of Representatives earlier passed the bill but without a death penalty provision. Five select members of the Senate and House will need to harmonize the two versions before it goes to the president.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters 

Related story: Video - Opioid crisis in Nigeria

 

At least 23 civilian force members killed in northern Nigeria

At least 23 members of Nigeria’s civilian joint task force were killed on Saturday in separate attacks by militants and an armed kidnapping gang in the north, two officials from the force said on Sunday.

In northeast Borno state, the heartland of an Islamist insurgency, suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters used an improvised explosive device (IED) to blow up a vehicle carrying the Civilian Joint Tast Force (CJTF) team, a local force chairman said.

The CJTF was first formed in 2013 to protect communities in the northeast and help the military fight Boko Haram and later its offshoot ISWAP. The force has since been extended to other northern states that are grappling with armed kidnapping gangs.

Tijjanima Umar, CJTF chairman for Gamboru Ngala area near the border with Cameroon, said his team was travelling to Borno state capital Maiduguri when they drove over the IED.

“As the mine blew up, nine of them died instantly … while two other people had severe injuries and were immediately taken to hospital for treatment,” Umar told Reuters by phone.

The Nigerian military was not immediately available to comment.

Although severely curtailed by Nigerian security forces, Boko Haram and ISWAP still carry out deadly attacks against civilians and the military.

In northwestern Soko state, 14 CJTF members were killed and several were missing following an ambush by gunmen on Saturday, task force sector commandant Ismail Haruna told Reuters.

Haruna said the CJTF members were killed in Sokoto’s Isa local government area, where they had raided and destroyed a bush camp belonging to a known armed kidnapping gang leader.

The gang quickly regrouped and ambushed the CJTF as they drove back to Sokoto state capital, he added.

By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters

Video - African counter-terrorism summit held in Nigeria

The meeting aims to increase cooperation between governments in ongoing counter-terrorism efforts across Africa and find ways to combat militant groups and their proxies more effectively. It comes as many countries on the continent are stepping up security operations against terror groups.

CGTN

Video - Nigeria President says no to ransom payment amid spike in kidnappings

Nigerian President Tinubu says ransoms will no longer be paid to kidnappers who have made the crime a business in the West African nation. He made the declaration during the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the kidnapping of 276 school girls from the town of Chibok in the country's northern region.

CGTN

Related stories: Video - Abductions in Nigeria surge despite raft of measures by authorities

Gunmen abduct 287 students in northwestern Nigeria in latest school attack

 

 

Woman rescued 10 years after kidnap by Boko Haram in Nigeria

Nigerian troops have rescued a pregnant woman and her three children 10 years after she was abducted by Boko Haram militants when she was a schoolgirl in the town of Chibok.

Lydia Simon was rescued in Gwoza council area, about 95 miles (150km) east of Chibok, from where 276 schoolgirls were seized in April 2014. As many as 82 are still missing a decade after the high-profile mass kidnapping.

Announcing the news on Thursday, the Nigerian army did not give details of the rescue other than to say Simon was found in the community of Ngoshe.

Chibok and Ngoshe are in Borno state, birthplace of the 15-year old insurgency that has since spread to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, uprooting about 2 million people across the region.

The army statement said Simon was five months pregnant. It was accompanied by a picture of her and her three children born in captivity, who appear to be between the ages of two and four. She has yet to be reunited with her family.

The Chibok abduction was the first of a series of mass school kidnappings in Nigeria, shocking the world and triggering a global social media campaign tagged #BringBackOurGirls. Ten years on, many of the abductees, now adults, have been freed or escaped, but jihadist groups and bandits continue to target schools for mass abductions.

Since the Chibok attack, more than 2,190 students have been kidnapped, according to the Lagos-based geopolitical risk consultancy SBM Intelligence. It said mass abductions had become “an increasingly favourite sport for Nigeria’s teeming armed groups”.

As many as 57 of the women from Chibok escaped in the hours after their kidnapping by jumping off the trucks used to abduct them. In May 2017, 82 others were released after the government reportedly paid million-dollar ransoms. Those who returned in recent years were mostly found abandoned in the forests.

Some Chibok parents and security analysts have said there is little evidence to show there is a special military operation to free the remaining women. It is not known if they are all still alive.

Some of the recently freed women were either raped by the insurgents or forced into marriages, according to Chioma Agwuegbo, an activist who was part of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

“We have heard their stories about the amount of trauma and violence they have faced. Somebody who was kidnapped 10 years ago is not returning as the same person,” Agwuegbo told Associated Press.

The cause has largely been forgotten by many of the politicians and celebrities who championed it. On 14 April, the anniversary of the abduction, the local activist collective that began the campaign and held rallies for years in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, said it was still seeking justice for the missing women after “this decade of shame”.

Simon’s rescue was symbolic of the enduring hope that pervaded her home town, said the Abuja-based analyst Idayat Hassan, a non-resident fellow with the Africa programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“It’s symbolic that 10 years after, we still got another of the girls,” Hassan said. “It keeps our hope alive.”

Simon’s family are waiting to be reunited with their long-lost relative, as are the villagers of Chibok.

“The government has not told us anything [and] we are waiting for an official call,” said Yakubu Nkeki, the chair of the Chibok girls’ parents’ association.

By Eromo Egbejule, The Guardian

Related stories: Video - Families of missing Chibok girls remain hopeful of reunion in Nigeria

Kidnappings in Nigeria rise 10 years after Chibok girls abducted

Nigerian film star Amal Umar arrested on bribery charges

One of Nigeria's most popular actresses has been arrested for allegedly trying to bribe a police officer in Kano state.

Police say Amal Umar gave an officer 250,000 naira (£137; $175) to have her impounded car released.

Her lawyer Adama Usman says she denies the charges, saying it was a police officer who first asked for money.

She has appeared in hundreds of movies over the past decade and is also well known in neighbouring countries.

Amal, as she is known by fans of Kano's film industry, Kannywood, has millions of followers on social media.

According to the police, Amal's car was seized over a year ago on suspicion it had been purchased using proceeds of fraud allegedly committed by her boyfriend.

"She gave our officer 250,000 [naira] with a promise to bring more money," Kano police spokesman Bashir Muhammad told the BBC.

Amal's lawyer Mrs Usman told the BBC they would continue to fight the case in court as she thinks the Fuska Biyu star was coerced.

"This is simply a case of abuse of her rights. We won the initial case in court where they were trying to link her with her boyfriend's activities which she has no hands in," the lawyer told the BBC.

"But the police are yet to obey court orders four months in by still holding on to her car.

"On this case of attempted bribery they are claiming, we are going to pursue it to the end because she was called to come and collect her car only for things to change," the lawyer said.

Amal, 24, has been freed on bail.

Police say Amal's boyfriend Ramadan Inuwa is wanted on charges of obtaining money by false pretences and is still at large.

He has not commented on the accusations.

By Mansur Abubakar, BBC

Related stories: Kannywood filmmakers in Nigeria face jail if they show violence

Government of Nigeria secures release of over 1,000 kidnapped people

The Nigerian Government has secured the release of over 1,000 people kidnapped recently in the northern part of the country, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has said.

Mr Ribadu stated this on Monday while receiving 23 persons rescued on Sunday after they were kidnapped last September at the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, North-west Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how security sources said the kidnapped students and staff of the university were rescued by security agents near Kuncin Dutse, a village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara. The Coordinator of the National Counter-terrorism Centre, Adamu Laka, a major general, reportedly coordinated the operation.

Receiving the rescued persons, Mr Ribadu said: “This is yet again a success story in our effort to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity. We have so far released over a thousand such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety.”

The 23 persons released include 15 students and eight workers of the university. A woman abducted in Funtua in Katsina State was also rescued, a source earlier told PREMIUM TIMES.

Earlier last month, nine of the female students were released after 178 days in captivity.

While addressing the released victims, Mr Ribadu congratulated them and their families on their safe return home.

He said the released students were the last batch of victims of a recent mass abduction the government had successfully rescued.

He urged the release victims to consider their experience as a trial that will make them stronger, not weaken their efforts in the future.

“Consider this experience a trial that should not break you but make you stronger. I also wish to specifically thank the parents of the rescued victims for your patience and understanding during this period.

“On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing any of them or paying any ransom.

“This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.

“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities.

“I am grateful to all our security and enforcement agencies for their tireless work and sacrifices. Finally, I want to put on record and appreciate the leadership and encouragement of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who made all these possible, Mr Ribadu said while reuniting the victims with their loved ones in Abuja. 

By Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu, Premium Times 

Related stories: 23 university students,staff released in Nigeria seven months after abduction

 Video - Abductions in Nigeria surge despite raft of measures by authorities

Video - Abductions in Nigeria surge despite raft of measures by authorities

kidnappings in Northern Nigeria have grown into an industry worth millions of dollars.

Related stories: President Tinubu rules out ransoms for abducted students as observers urge dialogue

kidnappers say they will kill all 287 school if $622,000 ransom not paid

 

Video - Families of missing Chibok girls remain hopeful of reunion in Nigeria

About 90 girls kidnapped from a government secondary school in Chibok, in Nigeria’s Borno State in 2014 remain missing. A total of 276 girls were taken. Many abductees have returned home and are trying to resume normal life. However, relatives of the girls still missing anxiously wait and hope for a reunion with their kin.

CGTN

Related stories: Nigerian Troops Rescue 16 Abductees in Kaduna

Video - Families and victims in Nigeria reeling from impact of kidnappings

Video - Kaduna state abductions raise Nigeria's insecurity crisis

 

Video - Mass abductions negatively impact food production in Nigeria

Farmers in northern Nigeria have abandoned their commercial farms and turned to small-scale subsistence farming close to their homes to avoid being the victims of kidnapping. Insecurity in the region is an issue. Kidnappings for ransom are increasingly common.

CGTN

Related stories: Video - Mass abductions impact education in Nigeria

Video - Growing calls for Nigeria government to enforce capital punishment on kidnappers

Kidnappings in Nigeria rise 10 years after Chibok girls abducted

Video - Nigeria ramps up security following spate of kidnappings

 

 

23 university students,staff released in Nigeria seven months after abduction

Security agents on Sunday announced the rescue of 23 students and workers kidnapped in September at the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, North-west Nigeria.

Security sources said they were rescued by security agents near Kuncin Dutse, a village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara. The Coordinator of the National Counter-terrorism Centre, Adamu Laka, a major general, reportedly coordinated the operation.

PREMIUM TIMES they were further gathered that the rescued persons had been handed over to the security authorities in Abuja. Mr Laka is expected to present them to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday.

The victims were evacuated to Abuja for debriefing and medical check-ups before being reunited with their families, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Earlier last month, nine of the female students were released after 178 days in captivity.

The 23 persons released in the latest development include 15 students and eight workers of the university. A woman abducted in Funtua in Katsina State was also rescued, a source told PREMIUM TIMES, asking for confidentiality because he was not invited to address the press.

One of the parents of the abducted students also confirmed the release of her daughter to DW Hausa Service late Sunday. She said her daughter called her and informed her that she was being moved to Gusau, the state capital.

The released students spent over 200 days in the terrorists’ camp following their abduction in September at their off-campus hostel in Sabon Gida, a community adjacent to the university campus in the state capital.

Some of the victims were rescued by security officials a few hours after their abduction. It was not immediately clear whether more or how many of the students were still being held by the terrorists.

The Zamfara State government is yet to speak on the latest release of the students.

The spokesperson for the Federal University, Gusau, Umar Usman, said he was yet to be briefed about the development when our reporter asked for his comments.

By Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu, Premium Times 

Related stories: Kidnappings in Nigeria rise 10 years after Chibok girls abducted

Nigeria movie released to mark 10th anniversary of the kidnapped 276 Chibok girls

Gunmen in army uniform execute five in east Nigeria

Gunmen in military uniform abducted five people in eastern Nigeria, tied their hands and shot them dead, police said on Saturday.

The attack overnight took place in Dananaca village, Taraba state, which is usually peaceful but which suffered a bombing at the hands of Islamist militants last week.

"The police are still investigating to ascertain if the people are real soldiers and from which unit," police spokesman for Taraba state Ibiam Mbaseki told Reuters by telephone.

"If they were genuine military men, they would have contacted us before carrying out such an operation, but we don't know where they came from."

Islamist sect Boko Haram, blamed for dozens of shootings and bombings since it launched an uprising in 2009, has sought to extend its reach too much of the north and the capital Abuja. The group has become President Goodluck Jonathan's number one security headache.

Suspected sect members attending a wedding party on Saturday opened fire on a military surveillance team monitoring the event, killing three civilians, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa of the joint military task force said.

Security forces combating Boko Haram complain that they hide amongst the civilian population, but the military's heavyhanded crackdowns and summary executions of suspects has angered the already alienated population of northern Nigeria.

The sect's armed struggle intensified after its spiritual leader Mohammed Yusuf died in police custody in 2009.

A bomb blast struck a police chief's convoy in eastern Nigeria's Taraba state on Monday, killing 11 people in the first such insurgent attack in the state.

A flurry of arrests of top figures in recent months had raised hopes the Boko Haram insurgency could be on the wane, but attacks in the past two weeks suggest they are very much still at large. Insecurity has spread across the north.

Suspected Boko Haram militants stormed a prison in their northeastern heartland on Friday, killing two guards and freeing the inmates, police said.

Gunmen threw bombs and opened fire on a cattle market in remote northeastern Nigeria on Wednesday, killing at least 60 people, a spokesman for the Yobe state governor said.

It was not clear if the killers were Islamists or a criminal gang. 

By Ibrahim Mshelizza, Reuters 

Related story: Video - Security experts call for deployment of more police, soldiers to volatile areas in Nigeria

Video - Mass abductions impact education in Nigeria

Teachers and others employed in the education sector want Nigeria's government to do something to reduce kidnapping incidents at the country's schools. They say the abductions are violations of a child's right to an education.

CGTN

Related stories: Video - Growing calls for Nigeria government to enforce capital punishment on kidnappers

Kidnappings in Nigeria rise 10 years after Chibok girls abducted

Video - Nigeria ramps up security following spate of kidnappings

Nigerian Troops Rescue 16 Abductees in Kaduna

Video - Families and victims in Nigeria reeling from impact of kidnappings

Video - Kaduna state abductions raise Nigeria's insecurity crisis

President Tinubu rules out ransoms for abducted students as observers urge dialogue

kidnappers say they will kill all 287 school if $622,000 ransom not paid

61 people kidnapped in Kaduna, Nigeria

Video - At least 15 students kidnapped in Nigeria - Third mass kidnapping since last week

Gunmen abduct 287 students in northwestern Nigeria in latest school attack

Suspected insurgents kidnap 50 people in northeast Nigeria

Video - Security experts call for deployment of more police, soldiers to volatile areas in Nigeria

Nigeria is struggling to contain rising cases of kidnappings for ransom. Security experts say criminal elements are taking advantage of vacuums created in ungoverned spaces to profit from the kidnappings.

CGTN

Related stories: Video - Growing calls for Nigeria government to enforce capital punishment on kidnappers

Kidnappings in Nigeria rise 10 years after Chibok girls abducted

Video - Nigeria ramps up security following spate of kidnappings

Nigerian Troops Rescue 16 Abductees in Kaduna

Video - Families and victims in Nigeria reeling from impact of kidnappings

Video - Kaduna state abductions raise Nigeria's insecurity crisis

President Tinubu rules out ransoms for abducted students as observers urge dialogue

kidnappers say they will kill all 287 school if $622,000 ransom not paid

61 people kidnapped in Kaduna, Nigeria

Video - At least 15 students kidnapped in Nigeria - Third mass kidnapping since last week

Gunmen abduct 287 students in northwestern Nigeria in latest school attack

Suspected insurgents kidnap 50 people in northeast Nigeria

Video - Growing calls for Nigeria government to enforce capital punishment on kidnappers

First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu is one of the voices demanding the government aggressively address kidnappings in Nigeria. The country has been plagued by a surge in kidnappings, leaving communities in fear and authorities struggling to contain the crisis.

CGTN

Related stories: Kidnappings in Nigeria rise 10 years after Chibok girls abducted

Video - Nigeria ramps up security following spate of kidnappings

Nigerian Troops Rescue 16 Abductees in Kaduna

Video - Families and victims in Nigeria reeling from impact of kidnappings

Video - Kaduna state abductions raise Nigeria's insecurity crisis

President Tinubu rules out ransoms for abducted students as observers urge dialogue

kidnappers say they will kill all 287 school if $622,000 ransom not paid

61 people kidnapped in Kaduna, Nigeria

Video - At least 15 students kidnapped in Nigeria - Third mass kidnapping since last week

Gunmen abduct 287 students in northwestern Nigeria in latest school attack

Suspected insurgents kidnap 50 people in northeast Nigeria