Gunmen in the Nigerian state of Kwara have abducted 10 women and children in the latest armed gang crackdown to roil Africa’s most populous country, police said Tuesday.
Isapa village in the western state was targeted on Monday night, officials said.
Kwara State Police Commissioner Ojo Adekimi said the attackers were herdsmen who opened fire sporadically and captured women and children from local farming families.
“They are being searched for. Policemen are in the bushes along with local hunters,” he told AFP news agency. He told that during the attack a woman had managed to escape from the attackers.
What’s the latest on the Catholic school kidnapping?
The kidnapping comes as parents of dozens of children abducted from a Catholic school last week pleaded for their release.
In that incident, armed gangs captured more than 300 children from a Catholic school in Nigeria’s north-central Niger state.
At least 50 victims who were taken from St. Mary’s School managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers were still being held.
“My son is a little boy. He doesn’t even know how to talk,” Michael Ibrahim said.
He said, his four-year-old son is suffering from asthma.
“We don’t know what condition the boy is in,” Ibrahim said. He said his wife became so ill due to the kidnapping that she had to be taken to the hospital.
Two other abductions occurred when 25 school girls were taken from another school in the north-western state of Kebbi and 13 girls were taken from the eastern state of Borno.
Nigeria is facing a long-running crisis caused by jihadist attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs.
US President Donald Trump earlier this month suggested possible military action over what he called a “mass genocide” of Christians in Nigeria – a claim the Nigerian government has denied.
Nigeria is a country where long-running conflicts are common, with both Christians and Muslims often being victims of indiscriminate killings.
UN calls for immediate action
Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations condemned recent incidents of mass kidnappings, calling on Nigerian authorities to take immediate steps to stop the attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We urge Nigerian authorities at all levels to take all lawful measures to stop such despicable attacks and hold those responsible accountable,” UN rights office spokesman Thamin al-Khaitan told reporters in Geneva. He called for a “prompt, impartial and effective investigation”.
Why are schools the target of kidnappers?
At least 2.57 billion naira ($1.7 million, or €1.5 million) was paid to the kidnappers between July 2024 and June 2025, according to the Lagos-based SBM intelligence consulting firm.
Schools are often seen as easy targets by kidnappers. Over the past 10 years, criminal gangs and Islamic militants have kidnapped at least 1,880 students across Nigeria, many of whom were released, but many killed.
The West African country is still scarred by the 2014 kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls in northeastern Chibok by Boko Haram militants. Some of the girls taken, most of whom were aged between 16 and 18 at the time, are still missing.
Since the founding of Boko Haram by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, thousands of people have been killed in the terrorist group’s attacks on schools, security forces, government agencies and churches. More than 2 million people have been displaced by the group’s activities across the region. The group has in the past aligned itself with the “Islamic State” (IS) terrorist group.
The United Nations considers Boko Haram a terrorist organization.
Edited by Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez