Kidnappings have become a serious source of revenue for Nigeria’s many armed groups, both for jihadists and non-ideological gangs of criminals locally known as bandits.
By Samuel OtienoThe attack happened on Sunday in Tofa, located in Rabah district, with the assailants also making away with a large number of livestock, according to local resident Hadiyyatullahi Hamisu.
By Maureen KinyanjuiAccording to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects forced the children to cut off communication with their families before transferring them to Kiambu, where they were held for several days.
By David AbonyoAfrica's most populous country is battling a 17-year insurgency by jihadist groups, which have made mass abductions a key tactic -- including the 2014 kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in the town of Chibok.
By Samuel OtienoThe army said its troops mobilised alongside the police immediately after hearing about the abduction, in the Tsafe area of Zamfara on Saturday afternoon.
By Samuel OtienoThe victim, identified as Emmanuel Kerich, was rescued after officers from Athi River Police Station, working alongside members of the public, intercepted the suspects' vehicle along the Mavemba–Mugoya Road in Athi River.
By David AbonyoAccording to police, the couple arrived at the agreed meeting point expecting to complete the transaction before they were confronted by three men.
By Maureen KinyanjuiThe announcement comes as the government faces mounting pressure to restore security following continued attacks by armed groups. In the past week alone, at least 20 villagers were killed by an armed gang in Zamfara State in north-western Nigeria, while 46 students were abducted from a school in Borno State in the north-east.
By Bradley BosireThe freed captives are currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital and will return home at a later date, army spokesman Danjuma Jonah Danjuma said in a statement issued on Friday evening.
By Samuel OtienoMost of the missing children are aged between two and five years old, according to eyewitness accounts and school staff familiar with the incident.
By Bradley BosireThe suspects allegedly abducted and coerced victims into revealing M-Pesa PINs before abandoning them in Kimende Forest, Kiambu County. Police said investigations are ongoing, with a key accomplice still at large.
By Chrispho OwuorTheir release comes amid a surge in abductions of young people across the country over the past two weeks.
By Samuel OtienoThe DCI also called on the public to provide information anonymously to help capture the fugitive.
By Chrispho OwuorTheir arrest comes after they allegedly kidnapped a woman and forced her to withdraw Sh585,000 from her bank account to secure her freedom.
By Rose Achieng