An expert report on monitoring violence in Nigeria written for the UN, indicates that “armed bandits” broke into northwestern Nigeria on Friday. More than 50 people were kidnapped in the village of Sabon Garin Damri in Zamfara

The village of Sabon Garin Damri, according to the report, has long suffered from gang violence that kidnap people for ransom, plunder villages, and levy taxes. The report states that while Friday's attack was the first incident of “mass kidnapping” in this area this year, “the recent trend of mass abductions in Zamfara is worrying.” The document notes “a change in the bandits' strategy towards larger attacks in northern Zamfara

According to local officials and residents, last month, “bandits” in Zamfara killed 33 people they kidnapped in February despite being paid a ransom of $33,700.