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

What the report says

More than 80 people have been reported abducted in Nigeria in separate attacks over the weekend, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP and police statements. The incidents took place in northern Niger State and neighboring Zamfara State, where armed men allegedly seized 47 farmers while they were harvesting peanuts and 40 women in another village.

The report says the kidnappings are part of a broader pattern of violence by criminal gangs known locally as bandits, who often raid rural communities, steal livestock and vehicles, and demand ransom for captives. Such abductions have become a recurring security crisis in northwestern and north-central Nigeria, disrupting farming and daily life and increasing pressure on the government to respond.

Separately, police in Abia State in the southeast said they discovered 28 skulls and bones at camps linked to criminal groups during a raid on forest hideouts. Authorities said the remains were believed to be those of kidnapping victims, while suspects reportedly fled. Police said efforts were continuing to track them down.

The report also places the incidents in a wider national context, with kidnapping-for-ransom remaining a major source of insecurity and a growing political issue ahead of Nigeria’s presidential election cycle. Al Jazeera cited earlier large-scale abductions and noted that ransom payments have risen sharply, underscoring how entrenched the problem has become.