ANOTHER MASS ABDUCTION IN NIGERIA AS GUNMEN SEIZE 28 MUSLIM TRAVELLERS INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHILE SECURITY FORCES STRUGGLE TO RESPOND
Armed men ambushed a bus carrying 28 Muslim travellers including women and children in Plateau State central Nigeria on Sunday night. The victims were travelling between villages to attend an annual Islamic gathering. Police say assets have been deployed for rescue operations. Families have begun receiving ransom demands. The incident adds to a long pattern of mass abductions by criminal gangs across northern and central Nigeria.
Armed gunmen have abducted at least 28 people including women and children in Nigeria’s central Plateau State in the latest mass kidnapping to hit the country.
The victims were travelling in a bus on Sunday night when the attackers struck between villages in the Bashar District of Wase Local Government Area. They were heading to an annual Islamic event when the gunmen intercepted the vehicle forced the passengers out and took them into nearby bushes.
Local police confirmed the abduction to the BBC. Plateau State Police spokesperson Alabo Alfred said authorities have deployed assets to the affected area with the aim of rescuing those taken. Residents discovered the abandoned bus by the roadside the following morning which triggered alarm in the community.
A journalist based in Plateau State reported that families of the victims have already begun receiving ransom demands. Police have not identified the perpetrators. The incident is not linked to the long running Islamist insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast. Instead it fits the pattern of kidnappings for ransom carried out by criminal gangs known locally as bandits who operate widely across northern and central Nigeria.
These gangs frequently target travellers on rural roads as well as farming communities and villages. Victims are often held in forests until families pay large sums of money. Although paying ransom is illegal in Nigeria many families see it as the only realistic way to secure the release of their loved ones.
The latest abduction comes amid a wave of similar attacks. Security forces remain overstretched as they battle multiple armed groups across different regions. Communities in Plateau State and neighbouring areas have long complained about inadequate protection on major travel routes especially at night.
Among those taken were said to be a prominent religious leader and two traditional princes according to some local accounts though police have not independently confirmed individual identities. Search teams including local hunters and security personnel are actively combing the area.
Mass abductions have become a persistent feature of insecurity in Nigeria. Gangs use the proceeds from ransoms to fund further operations while residents live in fear of sudden attacks on roads and farms. Authorities regularly announce deployments and operations yet the frequency of such incidents continues to raise questions about the effectiveness of current security strategies.
Families of the latest victims are now waiting anxiously for news while hoping for a swift and successful rescue. Police have appealed for public information that could assist the operation.
The situation remains fluid as search efforts continue in the forests of Plateau State.
