[USNEWS] Gunmen kidnapped at least 45 women and kiddies in an overnight raid on five villages in northwest Nigeria, witnesses said, in the second mass kidnapping in the area within days.
The attackers returned to Sabongarin Damri on Monday and raided nearby villages including Sade, Tungar Tsalle, Tungar Sodangi and Tungar Musa Dogo, in an assault that lasted until dawn, Shehu Musa, the traditional head of Damri, told Rooters by phone late on Tuesday.
The incident followed a separate mass abduction in Sabongarin Damri, in Zamfara state, on Saturday in which 70 people were taken.
"The attackers invaded the communities and kidnapped no fewer than 45 people from the five neighbouring villages, which are less than half a kilometre apart," Musa said.
Armed groups, often referred to locally as "bandidos", have killed hundreds and kidnapped thousands across Nigeria's northwest in recent years. They typically hold captives for extended periods, demanding ransoms for their release.
Security forces engaged the assailants during Monday's attack, killing three, but were unable to stop the bandidos from fleeing with hostages and rustling cattle. Civilian casualties were reported, though the number of fatalities was unconfirmed.
"They mostly kidnapped women and kiddies after killing some of our people," said Hassan Dauda, a resident of Tungar Tsalle. "As I'm speaking to you now, some residents have started fleeing their community due to fear." 
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