Gunmen kill four, abduct at least 40 in northwest Nigeria

MAIDUGURI: Armed men killed four people, including two policemen, and kidnapped at least 40 others in an attack on Kaura Namoda, in Nigeria’s northwest Zamfara state, police and residents said on Tuesday.

Africa’s largest economy is grappling with a multifaceted security crisis, including kidnappings for ransom in the northwest, which has reached alarming proportions.

Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar confirmed the attack and said reinforcements have been deployed to the Kasuwar Daji district of the town where the incident took place.

Residents, including some of the victims, told Reuters by phone about their ordeal which began with an attack on the local police station.

“Sporadic gunshots woke me up around 0100 GMT. They started with the uniformed men before they moved into our houses,” Hussaini Mohammed said.

“They took more than 40 women and children, including some elderly men,” added Mohammed, who managed to escape.Hamisu Kasuwa Daji, who heads the town’s transport union, told Reuters his son and two grandchildren were taken by the attackers.