Gunmen kidnap dozens after raid on Nigerian highway

Gunmen have abducted dozens of passengers on the highway between the Nigerian capital, Abuja, and the northern city of Kaduna. The busy road is notorious for frequent attacks by armed gangs behind kidnappings for ransom across the region.

Witnesses say the kidnappers blocked the road on Tuesday evening, trapping dozens of vehicles, opening fire and abducting a number of passengers.

The security forces then responded and engaged the gunmen in a battle.

A traveller who escaped the attack told the BBC about 40 people had been abducted. Kaduna state's commissioner for internal security Samuel Aruwan confirmed the raid but could not confirm how many had been kidnapped.

The Abuja-Kaduna highway is arguably Nigeria's most unsafe road because of frequent attacks by kidnapping gangs.

Many risk using it because train services were suspended in March following an attack on a passenger train in which nine people were shot dead. Dozens of passengers kidnapped in that raid are still in captivity.

The authorities say the train services are due to resume in the coming days after the completion of repair work on the rail track destroyed by the attackers.

AFPCopyright: AFP