No fewer than 20 farmers, including four pregnant women and several children, have been abducted in another deadly raid by bandits in Niger State, North-Central Nigeria. The victims were reportedly seized while working on farmlands, underscoring how rural communities continue to bear the brunt of worsening insecurity across the state.
Local sources disclosed that the attackers, armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the area in large numbers and shot sporadically to scare residents before seizing their captives.
The farmers were then herded into the bush and taken to an undisclosed location, with families left in panic and uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones.
Among those abducted are at least four pregnant women and multiple children, sparking outrage and heightened fear in surrounding villages.
Community members say the latest incident has crippled farming activities, as many residents are now afraid to return to their fields despite the ongoing harvest season.
The attack comes amid a string of similar assaults in Niger and neighbouring states, where bandits have increasingly targeted farming settlements, churches, schools, and highways.
Security operatives and local vigilante groups are reportedly combing nearby forests in a bid to track down the abductors and rescue the victims, though no official confirmation of arrests or successful rescue operations had been announced as of press time.
Residents are appealing to the federal and state governments to deploy more troops, provide aerial surveillance, and adopt tougher measures to dismantle the bandit networks terrorising rural communities.
Many fear that without decisive action, continued attacks on farmers will deepen food insecurity and further destabilise the already fragile region.
