Suspected herders on Saturday abducted a woman and her husband on their farm in the Barkin Abdullahi community, Lafia Local Council of Nasarawa State.
A witness, James Ovey, told The Guardian that the attackers cut off the woman’s left wrist and inflicted a machete wound on her husband’s head after grazing their cattle on the couple’s farmland.
The victims, who reportedly tried to stop the herders, were overpowered and taken away.
They are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Lafia, the state capital.
In a separate incident, Mr. Yusuf Agbo Nobaga reported that his wife was abducted in Giza, Keana Local Council. Sources said gunmen invaded the community around 11:45 p.m. on Friday, firing shots before taking Mr. Nobaga and his wife to an unknown location.
A resident of Giza, who asked not to be named, said the incident had created fear among locals.
“Nothing has been heard from them since yesterday night. We hope they are safe because there was much shooting. We are living in fear right now. People are even moving out of the community for fear of further attack. We have resolved to taking the challenge to God in prayers as all attempts to end the incessant abduction and killing has failed us,” the resident said.
Several communities in Keana have reportedly suffered repeated attacks by unidentified gunmen over the past three weeks.
The Nasarawa State government has assured residents that new security measures will be introduced to address rising insecurity and deal decisively with the perpetrators.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, said the latest abduction in Barkin Abdullahi had not been reported to the police. He urged residents to immediately report kidnapping cases and alert security agencies about suspicious persons or movements in their areas.
