At least 28 people heading to a yearly Islamic gathering in Nigeria’s Plateau State were kidnapped by armed men, local sources have confirmed.
The victims, made up of women and children, were seized on Sunday night while travelling by bus between rural areas. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers intercepted the vehicle, brandished weapons and marched the passengers away by force.
Security agencies are yet to release an official statement, and the group behind the attack has not been identified.Families hit with ransom demandsA Plateau State–based journalist told the BBC that families of the abducted travellers have already started receiving ransom calls from the kidnappers.
The abduction adds to mounting fears over the rise of mass kidnappings in parts of northern and central Nigeria. Armed criminal groups, commonly described as “bandits”, frequently prey on commuters, villages and schools.
While Nigerian law forbids the payment of ransom, security experts say it is widely assumed that many abduction cases are resolved this way, making kidnapping a major source of funding for these groups.
