Nigerian 'bandit' gang releases 48 children after ransom payment

A criminal gang released 48 kidnapped children in central Nigeria after receiving a ransom payment, according to a local chief and a UN source. The gang, known as bandits, targets rural communities in northwest and central Nigeria, where they kidnap and loot. On August 5, 54 children were initially kidnapped and held for three days in a game reserve.

However, they were released without ransom. Two days later, another gang seized the children on their way home. A UN source confirmed the release of 48 children, but a girl died in the first gang's custody and five escaped during their transfer. Bandit and jihadist violence has intensified in Niger state, with armed groups setting up camps in game reserves, exploiting the weak security presence.

Nigerian security forces are stretched thin, and several groups maintain camps in the Zugurma game reserve, using it as a base for holding ransom victims. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered security agencies to rescue the abductees on Tuesday.