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Gunmen have kidnapped at least twenty students in Nigeria, local police say.
The students were on their way south to attend a medical conference when their vehicles were ambushed in Benue State. The students attend the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos, both in northern Nigeria.
According to the Associated Press, it was not immediately clear who was behind the kidnapping and where the students are now. Police have not released anything on the subject.
More kidnappings
People are regularly kidnapped in Nigeria, especially in the northwest of the country. Armed groups They see kidnappings as a quick way to make money in a country where the economy is not doing well. They come in all-terrain vehicles or on motorbikes, surround schools, enter villages and force whole groups of people to go with them.
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The number of kidnappings is increasing, especially in the northwest of the country. -
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Mass kidnappings on the rise in Nigeria
Nigerian researcher Anietie Ewang of Human Rights Watch previously told NOS that ransom amounts range from €100 to €6,000 per person. “The amount depends on the status and origin of the kidnapper. For example, a businessman or politician earns more than a schoolboy from a small village.”
Most media attention focuses on large-scale kidnappings, especially when many children are abducted. “But in practice, this happens almost every day, and adults are also victims,” says Ewang. “People are not safe anywhere, and this happens everywhere: at home, while praying at the mosque or on the road.”