Unknown gunmen abducted over 30 passengers at Garin Gabas in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria
According to reports, the victims were kidnapped on Wednesday in three separate vehicles comprising an eighteen-seater bus and two other vehicles.
The bandits in their large number carrying dangerous weapons stormed Zungeru Garin Gabas highway shooting sporadically to scare villagers before kidnapping the passengers to an unknown destination.
An eyewitness disclosed that the bandits advanced to Kundu forest in Rafi local government council area to rustle some cattle.
Heavily armed gangs known locally as bandits have terrorised the northwest and central Nigeria for years, raiding and looting villages; but attacks have become even more violent in recent months.
The gangs have been increasingly targeting schools, kidnapping students to squeeze ransom from authorities and parents.
Nigeria has increased military operations in the main regions targeted by the bandits, but officials and residents worry they are fleeing to other areas.
Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kaduna states have restricted telecommunications services in some areas amid other measures such as bans on the transport of cattle and firewood, suspension of some animal markets and caps on fuel sales.