Armed bandits have kidnapped a bride, ten of her bridesmaids, a baby and several other women in a late-night raid on Chacho village in the Rabah area of Sokoto State, residents and security sources confirmed on Sunday.
The attackers stormed the community between Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday, carting away at least 14 victims. The incident is the latest in a wave of mass abductions sweeping across northern Nigeria.
A resident, Aliyu Abdullahi, told AFP that the assailants invaded the Zango neighbourhood where the newlywed bride was spending her traditional post-wedding night with her bridesmaids.
“Bandits stormed our village last night and kidnapped 14 persons, including a bride and 10 bridesmaids from a house in Zango,” he said.
A baby, the baby’s mother and another woman were also seized.
Chacho village had previously been attacked in October, during which 13 residents were abducted and later released after ransom payments. “Now we are faced with the same situation,” Abdullahi lamented.
A classified Nigerian intelligence report seen by AFP confirmed the latest attack, noting that Sokoto recorded a significant surge in bandit-led kidnappings in November — the highest in the past year.
The report suggested that peace deals initiated by neighbouring states to placate bandits may have inadvertently emboldened criminal groups, allowing them to shift operations to areas with less military pressure.
Security analysts have long criticised such agreements, warning that they often backfire by giving the gangs more room to entrench themselves while continuing their raids elsewhere.
President Bola Tinubu recently declared a nationwide security emergency following a series of high-profile kidnappings and attacks across the country.
