More than 80 reported abducted in Nigeria as police find human remains

More than 80 people were reported missing in Nigeria over the weekend after armed gangs carried out two separate mass abductions, even as police in a southeastern state said they had uncovered human remains believed to belong to earlier kidnapping victims, according to Al Jazeera.

The news outlet, citing the AFP news agency, reported that at least 87 people, most of them women, were taken during attacks in Niger and Zamfara states. On Saturday, gunmen seized at least 47 farmers who were harvesting peanuts in the Mariga area of Niger State. A day later, 40 women were abducted in the Yargada area of neighboring Zamfara State. AFP attributed the details to two security reports and a local source.

Authorities have not publicly identified the attackers, but Al Jazeera noted that such raids are typically blamed on criminal networks operating in the region, commonly referred to locally as "bandits." These groups are known for demanding ransom and stealing livestock, often raiding rural communities, killing residents, and burning homes after looting them.

In a separate development, police in Abia State, in southeastern Nigeria, said they had recovered 28 human skulls and bones during a raid on forest camps linked to criminal gangs. In a statement posted on X, police said the remains were suspected to belong to kidnapping victims, and that suspects who had been present at the site fled before officers arrived. Police said efforts to track down those responsible were continuing.

Large-scale kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly frequent in northwestern and north-central Nigeria, with gangs often holding victims for extended periods until payments are made. In August, gunmen abducted as many as 600 worshippers from a mosque during Friday prayers in Dekera village, also in Niger State, according to Al Jazeera.

Research from SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy cited by Al Jazeera, found that armed groups collected roughly 7.8 billion naira, or nearly $6 million, in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026. That figure is more than three times the 2.6 billion naira paid over the same period the previous year, pointing to a sharp escalation in kidnapping-related crime.

The latest abductions come months before Nigeria's presidential election scheduled for January, with insecurity expected to be a central campaign issue alongside the rising cost of living. President Bola Tinubu has faced mounting criticism over his government's handling of security challenges across the country.

Al Jazeera reported that residents in Niger State held a protest last week over the fate of hundreds of people abducted in earlier attacks on several communities, one of the largest mass kidnapping episodes in the country's recent history. According to the report, many of those taken were still being held roughly a month after the assault.

The wave of kidnappings underscores the persistent security challenges facing parts of Nigeria, where armed gangs continue to exploit weak policing and rugged terrain to carry out attacks on farming communities, worshippers and other civilians largely unimpeded.