August 20 2021 a group of armed bandits attacked the town of Rini Town, in the Bakula district of Zamfara state in northwest Nigeria, and kidnapped more than 70 people, Nigerian media reported.
According to eyewitness accounts, the incident occurred at about 2:30 am on the 20th, more than 100 bandits on more than 50 motorcycles into the town of Reni. Residents hid in their homes after hearing gunshots, but bandits went door-to-door and knocked people away.
Mohammed Shehu, a spokesman for the Zamfara state police command, confirmed the incident, but said the number of abductees was more than 60 and that further confirmation was needed. Meanwhile, Police have stepped up the deployment of search-and-rescue personnel in the area to rescue the kidnapped, Mohammed Shehu said.
Bandits attack and kidnappings are frequent in Zamfara state, and the security situation is critical. On 14 August, at 2300 hours, the Academy of Agricultural and Animal Sciences, also located in the Bakula Local Government District, was also attacked by bandits, who killed one policeman and two security guards and abducted 15 students and four staff members of the College, after which bandits demanded that the school pay a ransom of 350 million naira in exchange for the abductees.
The Governor of Zamfara State, Belo Matawal, condemned the incident and assured the families of the abductees that they would return safely, but there was no new information on progress.
