Gunmen abducted seven students during a predawn raid in northwestern Nigeria, while a separate attack in another state left one person dead and two women kidnapped, authorities said, underscoring a widening wave of insecurity.
Police in Zamfara State said the students were taken from an off campus residence in the Kaura Namoda area early Wednesday. Spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said one of the victims managed to escape and is now in protective custody, while security teams intensified efforts to locate the remaining six.
Officials have not disclosed the whereabouts of the abducted students, a recurring challenge in a region where armed groups often retreat into remote forest enclaves after carrying out raids.
Zamfara has long been a center of violent activity by criminal gangs who rely on kidnapping for ransom. Figures compiled by Premium Times and cited by The Associated Press show that at least 1,900 students have been abducted from schools across Nigeria since the 2014 mass kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok, in Borno State.
In a separate development, violence also struck Kwara State, where armed assailants attacked a Fulani settlement near Lafiagi in the Edu local government area. Accounts published by Premium Times, citing The PUNCH, said the attackers stormed the community late Monday, firing shots and causing panic among residents.
Police commissioner Ojo Adekimi confirmed that one resident was killed during the assault and two women were abducted. He identified the victims as wives of a local Fulani leader who appeared to have been the intended target of the attackers.
“The attackers targeted the Fulani leader, Ardo, but could not locate him,” Adekimi said, adding that security forces were pursuing the assailants after they fled into nearby forested terrain. He noted that military personnel had earlier engaged the attackers before they retreated.
Community sources cited by The PUNCH described a chaotic scene as residents fled under gunfire. The attackers reportedly withdrew after abducting the women, leaving heightened fear among locals already grappling with repeated incursions.
Recent reporting by PREMIUM TIMES indicates that the Kwara North region has witnessed a string of similar attacks in recent weeks, including raids on villages, farmland and traditional institutions. In one earlier incident, armed groups set parts of a palace ablaze and abducted several people, including members of a royal household.
Authorities have responded with additional deployments and consultations with military leadership, but fresh attacks continue to test those measures.
The near simultaneous attacks in Zamfara and Kwara reflect a troubling expansion of organized armed violence beyond traditional hotspots in northwestern Nigeria. While Zamfara has long struggled with entrenched bandit networks, the growing frequency of incidents in Kwara suggests that these groups are extending their reach or inspiring copycat operations.
Kidnapping has evolved into a structured criminal enterprise, with victims often used as leverage for ransom payments that sustain further operations. Schools and rural communities remain especially vulnerable due to limited security presence and difficult terrain that complicates rapid response.
The data cited by Premium Times illustrates the scale of the crisis, but the broader implication is the normalization of abduction as a tactic. Each successful raid reinforces the perception of weak deterrence, potentially encouraging more attacks.
The situation also highlights coordination challenges among Nigeria’s security agencies. Although military and police units frequently respond to distress calls, the ability of attackers to escape into forests points to gaps in intelligence, surveillance and sustained ground operations.
Without a comprehensive strategy that combines enforcement with economic and social interventions, analysts warn that the cycle of violence may persist, leaving communities exposed and deepening public anxiety across affected regions.
AP/Punchng/PremuimTimes/DailyTrust
