Armed men kidnapped at least 80 people, mostly women and children in the Nigerian state of Zamfara, an area where armed gangs are kidnapping remote villages for ransom, residents said Saturday.

In recent years, gangs of gunmen have attacked hundreds of local communities in northwestern Nigeria. Islamist militants continue to carry out attacks in the northeast.

The last kidnapping took place on Friday. Wanzamai Village, in Tsafe Local Government Area, in Zamfar, three residents testified. Zamfara is one of the states most affected by kidnappings.

The list is being circulated via Twitter with at least 82 names of victims.

Here is a list of 85 residents of Wanzamai village in Tsafe Local Government District of Zamfara State who were abducted by armed bandits. Most of the victims are teenagers and women, 48 hours after the attack, there is still no details of their whereabouts or any information. pic.twitter.com/OSng09c2aA

— Idris4Pis (@Edrees4P) April 8, 2023

Musa Usman, whose 14-year-old son Ibrahim was one of the abductees, told the children and women of the village cleared the land for cultivation and collected firewood when they were kidnapped by armed men and taken to the nearest forest.

“Children from different households went to collect firewood, and some of them went to farms in search of manual labor when They were kidnappedUsman told Reuters about this by phone.

Zamfara police spokesman Mohammed Shehu confirmed the incident in a statement, but did not say how many people were abducted. The police worked with the military and community guards to rescue victims, he said.

Haruna Noma, another parent, said some of the abductees came from two nearby villages. Kucheri and Danvuri, and that they went to Wanzamai to clear the land for cultivation.