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Gunmen kidnapped about twelve children in central Nigeria, according to local and security sources on Sunday, in the latest wave of mass abductions hitting Niger State, which is witnessing an escalation in violence.
The sources said that gunmen on motorcycles kidnapped the children on Saturday near the town of Maigogiri in the Rafi area, as they were returning from a farm where they had been helping their teacher harvest corn.
A security report stated that 18 children were kidnapped, while a local resident named Mohammed Abdullah said the number is about 12.
Abdullah said, "They were kidnapped on their way back home from their teacher's farm," adding that one of the children was shot and is receiving treatment at a hospital in Minna, the state capital.
This is the latest abduction in a wave of attacks carried out by armed criminal gangs, which have intensified their raids, kidnappings, and cattle rustling in Niger State in recent months.
In September, at least 47 farmers, mostly women, were kidnapped while harvesting peanuts, and in August, about 50 children were kidnapped from a farm before being released later after a ransom was paid.
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