Fourteen pupils of an Islamiyya school abducted from a farm in Niger State remained in captivity at the end of a week that also saw eight security personnel killed in Zamfara and up to 20 villagers abducted in Kaduna, according to Ndeya Live’s weekly Nigeria and Sahel Security Update.
The pupils were taken at about 12:30 pm on Saturday, 31 October, while helping their teacher harvest maize at Tungan-Bako village in Rafi Local Government Area. The Niger State Police Command confirmed the abduction on 2 November and put the number at about 14. The teacher, Malam Aminu Bako, says 15 were taken. The police dismissed a politician’s claim that 50 pupils had been abducted. The abductors contacted village leaders and demanded more than ₦100 million.
In Zamfara State, bandits on 2 November ambushed a bus carrying police officers to the state for special duty near Gidan-Giye village in Tsafe LGA. Five police officers and three members of the state’s Community Protection Guard were killed, and the attackers seized five AK-47 rifles. Police rescued seven officers and evacuated two wounded. Some officers were reportedly taken away, but police have not confirmed how many remain missing.
Gunmen struck Akwando village in the Kuturmi area of Kachia LGA, Kaduna State, around midnight on 4 November. They killed Irimiya Galadima, 41, and Benjamin Danlami, 32, and abducted between 18 and 20 people. The Kuturmi Unity Development Association listed 20 names. Community leaders say armed groups in the area charge farmers levies before they are allowed to harvest. They also allege the groups sexually coerce families, which has not been investigated publicly.
In Plateau State, gunmen on 2 November abducted two members of the Nigeria Association of the Blind travelling back to Jos through Riyom LGA, and demanded ₦50 million. Seven other passengers escaped. On 4 November, an 18-year-old vigilante was killed during an attack on a village in Barkin Ladi LGA. In Bassa LGA, troops of Operation Enduring Peace contained a clash between farmers and herders in which two people were injured.
In Asaba, Delta State, one person was killed and five were injured on 7 November when attackers struck a rally held by the Obidient/OK Movement for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress. Police Commissioner Samuel Erale said the organisers had been advised not to hold a road procession because intelligence pointed to possible violence. The state government and opposition figures have blamed each other.
There were also gains. The Army rescued 16 kidnap victims in two operations in Niger State and recovered 33 motorcycles. Police rescued 11 victims and arrested 19 suspects nationwide, though a farmer was killed during one rescue in Zamfara.
In the Sahel, Algeria made its first foreign troop deployment since 1973, sending soldiers into Niger Republic. Human Rights Watch documented a JNIM attack that killed 24 civilians at a gold mine in northern Burkina Faso. Niger’s prime minister signed a cooperation protocol with the authorities in eastern Libya.
Nigeria still has no public register of people kidnapped and released.
Rimamnde Shawulu is the host of Ndeya Live, which provides analysis of Nigerian politics, security and governance, and the author of The Middle Belt.
