Crime Africa

22 farmers kidnapped near Nigeria’s capital

Gunmen have kidnapped 22 farmers from their fields just outside Nigeria’s capital Abuja, local police said Friday, in the latest wave of mass abductions in the country.

Heavily-armed criminals known locally as bandits frequently attack rural areas with poor security in the northwest and central regions, but mass kidnappings are rare in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“The incident happened in Rafin Daji, a boundary community between Niger (state) and the FCT 22 were confirmed kidnapped,” police spokesman Oduniyi Omotayo told AFP.

He said the abductions happened on Wednesday.

“The farmers were on their farmland working when gunmen outnumbered and kidnapped them,” Omotayo said in a message.

Police and other security agencies “stormed the forest” in a bid to rescue the victims, he added.

Nigerian troops are fighting on several fronts, including in the northeast where jihadists have waged a 13-year-old insurgency and in the southeast where separatists operate.

But violence perpetrated by bandit militias is on the rise, with 50 percent more incidents in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

Nigeria’s bandits killed more than 2,600 civilians in 2021, an increase of over 250 percent compared with 2020, according to the charity that collects data.

This figure far exceeds the official number of civilian fatalities resulting from the jihadist insurgency.

Most kidnappings are financially driven, with victims often released after a ransom payment, but there are concerns that some groups are linked to jihadist cells.

 

Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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