No fewer than 30 villagers have been kidnapped in kutunku town in the Wushishi Local Government Area of Niger State.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident took place at about 1.30a.m on Monday.

A reliable source reported that the heavily armed bandits stormed the village on foot and rounded up the villagers.

The bandits were said to have hidden their motorcycles in an orchard close to the village and trekked to their target, a development that did not arouse the suspicion of the villagers until it was late.

“They forced them to trek along with them to their camp” the source said, adding that the bandits were yet to contact families of those kidnapped.

One of the women abducted, according to the source, is billed to be married this weekend.

A senior local government official in the area said a report was made to the Divisional Police Officer in Zungeru “but we are yet to hear from him”.

Chairman of Rafi LGA, Ismaila Modibo Kagara confirmed the incident.

According to him, the incident occurred at Kutunku Village in Wushishi LGA, a border town with Kundu in the Yakila District of Rafi LGA.

He maintained that 24 persons were kidnapped at Kutunku village, adding that the names of the victims had not been released.

Modibo said the bandits also went to nearby Adidi village where they kidnapped one Ibrahim Gamaagi before moving to the next village where they abducted unspecified number of people.

Thisday