At least 46 people, including women and children, were kidnapped in a raid on Gana town in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, residents and a local traditional leader said on Tuesday.
The attack, which follows a similar mass kidnapping in the state last month, occurred at around 2200 GMT on Sunday, with dozens of gunmen on motorbikes unleashing a barrage of gunfire on the community and setting fire to several homes and businesses, residents said.
Kidnapping has become endemic in Nigeria's northwest as armed gangs abduct people from villages, highways and schools, and demand ransom money from the victims' relatives.
Zamfara state is a hotspot for kidnapping gangs who carry out attacks and retreat into forests where they have set up camps. The Nigerian military has bombed some of the camps but attacks continue.
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