Mass Abduction in Central Nigeria: 28 Pilgrims Kidnapped in Plateau State Amid Rising Ransom Demands

Security in central Nigeria faced another blow as gunmen abducted at least 28 people, including women and children, en route to an annual Islamic gathering in Plateau State. The attack occurred late Sunday when armed men intercepted a bus and forced passengers out at gunpoint. Reports from local media indicate that families have already started receiving ransom demands from the captors, a common tactic used by the gangs locally known as "bandits."

This incident comes just 24 hours after the celebrated release of 130 students and teachers in Niger State, highlighting the volatile nature of the country's kidnapping crisis. While paying ransoms is illegal in Nigeria, it remains the primary funding source for these criminal networks. Security experts clarify that this abduction is linked to organized crime rather than the decade-long jihadist insurgency in the northeast, further emphasizing the multifaceted security threats facing the nation.