Kidnapping Crisis 28 Muslim Travellers Abducted in Nigeria

28 Muslim travellers kidnapped in Nigeria’s Plateau State; families receive ransom demands. Read latest updates on Nigeria kidnapping news.

Armed assailants have kidnapped 28 Muslim travellers in Plateau State, central Nigeria, as they journeyed to an annual Islamic event. The attack happened Sunday night when their bus was ambushed between local villages.

Families of the victims have reportedly started receiving ransom demands. While the identity of the attackers is still unknown, such kidnappings for ransom, carried out by criminal gangs known as “bandits,” are increasingly common in northern and central Nigeria.

This incident is unrelated to the ongoing Islamist insurgency in Nigeria’s north-east, where jihadist groups have been active for over a decade.

Just a day earlier, authorities released 130 schoolchildren and teachers from a Catholic boarding school in Niger State who had been kidnapped in a separate attack.

Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, stated that trained forest guards will be deployed to remote areas to assist the army in curbing criminal hideouts. He also emphasized that tensions with the US over security and alleged persecution of Christians have largely eased, improving bilateral relations.

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