Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja — At least 28 travellers, including women, children and community leaders, were abducted by armed gunmen in Plateau State’s Bashar district, in one of the latest and most troubling incidents in a sustained pattern of criminal violence that continues to unsettle central Nigeria.
The mass abduction occurred late Sunday night on a rural highway near Zak community in Wase Local Government Area, where a group of villagers were heading to a Maulud (religious) event in Sabon Layi when they were ambushed by unknown assailants. Two community figures described the attack: the victims were traveling together when the gunmen struck around 8:00 p.m., seized the travellers at gunpoint and abandoned their vehicle on the roadside before fleeing with the captives into the bush.
Among those taken were two princesses and a religious leader, according to a local youth leader who spoke on condition of anonymity. Efforts by residents to locate the victims have so far been unsuccessful, and the security situation remains fluid, with authorities confirming that the police and military have been informed and are investigating the development.
The Plateau State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Alabo Alfred, acknowledged the incident when contacted and said the command is actively pursuing leads to rescue the abducted travellers, though no further details about the suspects or their motives have yet been released.
This latest abduction comes against a backdrop of chronic insecurity in Plateau State and the wider North-Central region, where banditry, kidnappings and raids have become increasingly common. Past months have seen multiple violent episodes — including attacks on markets and villages in Wase district that left several traders abducted and goods stolen — underscoring the vulnerability of rural communities and the difficulties facing security agencies in stemming the tide of armed criminality.
Authorities and analysts describe the threat as part of a persistent and evolving security crisis in central Nigeria, where armed groups operate with relative mobility and often exploit rugged terrain to ambush travellers, raid settlements and move captives into forest hideouts. Plateau’s Bashar and Wase areas in particular have been repeatedly targeted, adding pressure on local residents and prompting calls from civic leaders for enhanced policing, intelligence gathering and community defence cooperation to protect vulnerable populations.
Security observers note that kidnappings of this scale not only inflict immediate trauma on victims and their families but also exacerbate wider socio-economic disruption, as fear of attack discourages travel, commerce and communal activities. In many recent incidents nationwide, abductors have exploited weak roadside security to seize hostages for ransom or leverage, contributing to a cycle of violence that authorities have struggled to break.
The Plateau abductions follow a series of related incidents in recent months, including other kidnappings of travellers and attacks on communities that have prompted calls from lawmakers and civil society for a stronger security response. In one such case earlier in the year, Nigeria’s House of Representatives demanded urgent investigations into the killing of 13 travellers bound for a wedding in Mangu Local Government Area, urging joint action by police, military and intelligence services to safeguard travellers.
Federal and state authorities have in the past pledged intensified operations against bandit and criminal networks across Plateau and adjoining states. However, the recurrence of mass abductions — including this latest event involving nearly 30 people taken at once — highlights both the scale and resilience of the threat confronting Nigeria’s security institutions.
Families of the abducted have appealed for urgent intervention and swift action to secure the release of their loved ones. Community leaders emphasise that the repeated targeting of travellers deepens anxiety among residents and underscores the urgent need for coordinated security measures, improved rural patrols, and emergency response capacity along major and minor transport routes that are frequently exploited by armed criminals.
As operations continue and investigations proceed, the fate of the 28 kidnapped travellers remains unclear, and the incident has once again drawn attention to the persistent and complex security challenges facing Nigeria — challenges that extend beyond Plateau State to multiple regions where armed groups exploit weaknesses in law enforcement and the judiciary to sustain cycles of violence and criminality.
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