87 kidnapped in two days as armed gangs hit northern Nigeria again
Armed men have seized at least 87 people, most of them women, in two separate attacks across northern Nigeria within 48 hours, striking farming communities in Niger State and Zamfara State. The abductions, reported by security sources consulted by AFP, underscore how deeply mass kidnapping has become embedded in the rural north and centre of the country.
First raid targets peanut harvesters in Niger State
The violence began on Saturday in the Mariga area of Niger State, where gunmen stormed farmland while residents were gathering peanuts. At least 47 farmers, many of them women, were taken, according to a local source and a security report prepared for humanitarian organisations.
The assailants reportedly arrived on roughly 50 motorcycles before scattering in multiple directions. Local accounts suggest the captives may be held in the Ma’undu forest. At the time the information emerged, no ransom demand had been delivered to the families.
Second attack hits Zamfara the following day
On Sunday, the neighbouring state of Zamfara became the next target. Forty women were reportedly abducted in Yargada, within the Gusau district, according to a security report compiled for the United Nations. Nearby villages, including Yargada, Maikogo and Magama Mairake, were also attacked, with homes and vehicles set alight.
The true toll may be higher. Residents who spoke to AFP described more than 50 women and children taken across several villages. Independent verification remains difficult given the remoteness of the affected areas and the insecurity that prevails there.
Bandit gangs: a threat distinct from jihadist groups
The assaults are attributed to armed gangs widely known in Nigeria as “bandits.” They are distinct from jihadist organisations such as Boko Haram or the Islamic State in West Africa Province, although the lines between organised crime, banditry and jihadist insurgency can sometimes blur.
Across north-west and central Nigeria, these groups have for years carried out kidnappings for ransom, cattle theft and raids on villages. They use vast forested areas as hideouts and operational bases. Authorities struggle to control these rural territories, which often lie far from major urban centres.
In Zamfara State, residents cited by AFP said Sunday’s attacks may have been reprisals after several gang members were killed by local militias. That account remains a local testimony and has not been independently established.
A criminal economy built on ransom payments
Beyond the violence, kidnapping has become a genuine revenue stream for armed groups. Data from SBM Intelligence cited by AFP indicates that around 7.78 billion nairas, equivalent to roughly $5.8 million, was paid in ransoms between July 2025 and June 2026. That figure is more than three times the amount recorded in the previous period.
The same report estimates 7,825 people were abducted during that period, a 66 percent rise year on year. These numbers hint at the scale of the phenomenon, even though they draw on data collected from various sources and do not necessarily represent an exhaustive count.
The situation is all the more worrying because kidnappings do not only affect farmers or travellers. Schoolchildren, families and entire village populations are regularly targeted. In May 2026, more than 80 children went missing after attacks on schools in Borno and Oyo States.
Government escalates military operations
In response, President Bola Tinubu’s administration says it has stepped up its campaign against terrorist groups, bandits and kidnapping networks.
The Nigerian military is now running several operations simultaneously on different fronts. In the North-East, Operation Hadin Kai is chiefly devoted to fighting Boko Haram and ISWAP. In the North-West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA targets armed groups responsible for numerous attacks and abductions in states such as Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto. Other operations are conducted in the centre of the country.
Authorities highlight a strategy combining ground operations, airstrikes, intelligence, arrests and rescue missions. According to the federal Ministry of Information, Nigerian forces have intensified operations against bandit and kidnapper networks in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Niger, Kaduna and several other regions.
Figures released by the army reflect the scale of the offensive. For July and August 2026, Defence Headquarters claims 7,062 operations were conducted nationwide. The military says it neutralised 1,487 terrorists and insurgents, arrested 354 suspects and freed 777 kidnapped people. It also claims to have recovered nearly a thousand firearms. These data come from military authorities and cannot all be independently verified.
In the North-West, the army announced in late September the rescue of 14 kidnapped people during an operation in Kaduna and Katsina States. Authorities also say they recovered weapons and intercepted individuals suspected of belonging to terrorist networks.
Results that still fail to halt the abductions
Despite these operations, the growing number of kidnappings shows the problem remains deeply entrenched. Days before the latest attacks, residents of Niger State protested to demand the release of hundreds of people seized in coordinated attacks in August. Local estimates put the number of captives at nearly 700, a figure authorities had not confirmed.
The government’s challenge is therefore twofold: weakening armed groups while preventing them from regenerating in hard-to-reach rural areas. Security forces must also dismantle the logistical networks, arms traffickers and financial circuits that allow criminal groups to fund their operations.
The latest abductions in Niger and Zamfara States are a reminder of a persistent reality: military pressure yields sporadic results, including arrests and hostage releases, but it has not yet ended the kidnapping economy.
For rural populations, the threat remains daily. Tending a field, going to market or crossing a forest area can still expose residents to abduction. And as long as armed groups retain the ability to move, hide and demand ransoms, security operations will need to be paired with a sustained effort in intelligence, community protection and territorial control.
The 87 abductions reported this weekend are less an isolated episode than a fresh signal of Nigeria’s difficulty in durably restoring security in parts of the North.