Audio By Carbonatix
Armed bandits have freed 40 people they had abducted from a village in north-western Nigeria's Zamfara state on Saturday, police have said.
The gunmen freed the villagers following the intervention of security agencies and a separate group of bandits who were involved in peace talks with the state government, police spokesman Muhamma Shehu told the BBC.
No ransom was paid, he added.
Bandits have stepped up attacks across north-western Nigeria in recent months, but Saturday's abductions in Zamfara's Mwaru area were on a scale rarely seen.
In the last decade more than 8,000 people have been killed in the states of Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger and Zamfara, according to the International Crisis Group.
The attacks are rooted in decades-long competition over resources between ethnic Fulani herders and farming communities.
Latest Stories
-
Tafo Government Hospital children’s ward 85% complete ahead of my 45th birthday – Nana B
59 minutes -
Kessben FM yanks DJ K.A. ‘off air’ over intimate video circulated online; Investigation underway
1 hour -
Ghana, Nigeria commit to stronger trade cooperation under AfCFTA
2 hours -
Ghana to evacuate about 1,000 citizens from South Africa amid renewed xenophobic attacks
2 hours -
Climate change: Floods hit my home while I was defending Ghana’s forests in Germany
2 hours -
First person gets new experimental vaccine for Ebola
2 hours -
Ablakwa calls for investigation into alleged on Sam Jonah’s investments in Nigeria
2 hours -
Gov’t cuts sod for construction of Gomoa Akotsi-Kwanyarko road
2 hours -
Farmer arrested over fatal shooting of suspected yam thief in Oti region
2 hours -
Ghana Medical Trust Fund briefs Otumfuo on progress and vision for expanding specialised healthcare
2 hours -
Mahama is succeeding in nation’s fight against gold smuggling – Haruna Iddrisu
2 hours -
NSMQ 2026 : Mfantsiman Girls book place at nationals with dominant regional qualifier victory
3 hours -
Unhappy Tottenham players should leave – De Zerbi
3 hours -
Interior Minister promises police recruitment slots for families of victims in Sefwi Sayerano shooting
3 hours -
Mid-Year Budget Review: Deloitte Africa Executive calls for better revenue mobilisation and focused flagship programmes
3 hours