What You Need to Know:
Following the kidnapping of over 200 students in central Kaduna State four days ago, bandits have struck again, this time kidnapping 61 men, women and children from the community of Buda.
Among those taken was a mother with a 2-week old infant.
According to local sources, police are yet to respond to the incident.
The Details:
Mass kidnappings are not new to Nigeria, with bandits oftentimes being farmers or herders who have resorted to taking locals for ransom, as the lands they can farm or herd on shrink due to climate change.
Additionally, the free flow of arms in the country adds to the problem, with the Nigerian government’s attempts to hinder the cross border trafficking of arms doing little to address the issue. Furthermore, guns are also locally produced in Nigeria by ‘vigilante’ groups who seek to protect their communities.
The second mass kidnapping in less than a week highlights the governments losing battle against bandit groups in the State, with locals claiming that without the legal right to own arms, they are ‘sitting ducks’.