Armed gangs abducted more than 80 people across two northern Nigerian states over the weekend, while police in the south made a grim discovery — 28 human skulls and bones found at suspected criminal camps in remote forests, authorities announced on Sunday.

At least 47 farmers were seized by gunmen while harvesting peanuts in the Mariga area of Niger State on Saturday, while around 40 women were kidnapped the following day in the neighbouring state of Zamfara, in the Yargada area. The attacks were reported by AFP citing security documents and a local source. Both states lie in Nigeria's northwest and north-central belt, a region long plagued by armed criminal gangs — locally known as "bandits" — who specialise in ransom kidnappings and cattle rustling, regularly raiding villages, killing residents and burning homes. Separately, police in Abia, a state in the country's southeast, announced they had raided camps linked to criminal groups in the Umuaku and Nneato forests, in the Umunneochi area, following intelligence reports of suspicious activity. Upon arrival, officers found the suspects had fled, but recovered 28 human skulls and bones believed to belong to kidnapping victims. Abia State Police Commissioner Wilfred Afolabi described the operation as part of an ongoing effort to dismantle criminal hideouts, and forensic investigations are continuing to identify the remains and establish how the individuals died.

The scale of Nigeria's kidnapping crisis has grown sharply. Research by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, estimates that armed groups collected roughly 7.8 billion naira (nearly $6 million) in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026 — more than triple the figure recorded in the same period a year earlier. The problem is not new: in August, gunmen abducted as many as 600 worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Dekera village in Niger State, prompting protests last week by residents who say many captives remain unaccounted for.

The latest attacks add to intense pressure on President Bola Tinubu, who has faced growing public criticism over the government's response to insecurity. With presidential elections scheduled for January, security — alongside the rising cost of living — is shaping up to be a defining issue. Authorities in Abia have appealed to residents to report suspicious activity, while police in both the north and south say they are intensifying surveillance and manhunts for those responsible.