Nigerian state under curfew amid abductions - Reports

Nigeria's restive north-western Zamfara state has imposed a curfew along its borders with Sokoto and Katsina states in a bid to curb escalating cases of kidnapping in the area.

Movement will be restricted between 19:00 and 06:00 local time, the state's Commissioner for Information and Culture was quoted by local media as saying.

“This is to tackle the incessant kidnapping of travellers along the Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua highway," Alhaji Mannir Haidara added.

Cases of kidnapping for ransom have surged in north-western Nigeria, where armed gangs, locally referred to as bandits, target villages, schools, and travellers.

Last month, dozens of schoolchildren were abducted but later rescued in Kaduna state.

The criminal gangs continue to carry out mass abductions and demand hefty payments to release victims, even though ransom payments are outlawed in Nigeria.