Nigeria bandit kidnappings claim over 40 victims in Zamfara and Oyo

In northwestern Zamfara state, an armed bandit gang led by Kachalla Sa'idu abducted more than 40 people from eleven villages between Friday and Sunday, according to local residents and the Maru local government chairman. The victims remain held in the gang’s hide‑out, and officials have asked for additional security forces. Nigerian troops killed over 300 bandits in Zamfara earlier this month, and kidnappings in the country generated about $1.66 million in ransom payments between July 2024 and June 2025.

In southwestern Oyo state, militants identified as the Ansaru breakaway faction of Boko Haram seized 39 schoolchildren and teachers from three schools on 15 May. The children were taken into a nearby forest reserve that links to Kwara state and were rescued on 10 July after a joint military, intelligence and police operation. One teacher died during the abduction and two more were killed while in captivity; eight kidnappers were arrested and several were killed. President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack, and analysts warned that forested areas need stronger surveillance as they are being used as corridors by armed groups expanding southward.