At least 46 people, including women and children, were kidnapped during a Sunday night raid on Gana town in Nigeria’s northwest Zamfara state, according to residents and a local traditional leader.

The attack began around 2200 GMT, with gunmen on motorbikes firing indiscriminately and setting homes and businesses ablaze. Alhaji Garba Haure, a traditional leader, credited government security forces with preventing the attackers from completely destroying the town.

“No lives were lost, but 46 individuals, including men, women, and children, have been abducted, with numbers possibly higher,” Haure said. Six people reportedly escaped while the captives were being moved early Monday, according to resident Bala Harauma.

Another resident, Yusuf Mohammed, stated that the attackers destroyed dozens of homes and silos containing food supplies.

Efforts to contact Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar for comment were unsuccessful.

This attack follows a similar mass kidnapping in December, where victims were freed after a ransom was paid. Zamfara state and other parts of northwest Nigeria have long suffered from violence by armed gangs, or “bandits,” who regularly engage in kidnappings, killings, and destruction of property.

SABC2