Villagers kidnapped a day after Nigeria police patrol

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At least 22 people have been abducted from a kidnapping hotspot in Nigeria just one day after it was patrolled by Nigeria's police chief.

This stretch of the Abuja-Kaduna highway, in north-western Kaduna state, is notorious for attacks blamed on armed gangs, known locally as bandits, who run huge money-making kidnapping operations.

Local residents told the BBC that large numbers of bandits, clad in military uniforms and wielding sophisticated weapons, stormed Angwar Maji village, which is located close to the highway, on Sunday night.

They reportedly went from house to house, selecting their victims before marching them away at gun point.

Many people thought it was a military operation until some of the victims who escaped later returned to say they had been kidnapped.

It follows last week's horrific attack on a busy train travelling from the capital, Abuja, to the city of Kaduna. Earlier this month, there were reports that Kaduna's airport was attacked.

In the last 24 months in Nigeria alone, armed gangs have killed hundreds of people and forced thousands to flee their homes.

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