Armed men have carried out a series of night raids in Nigeria that left dozens seized, including a pastor and a bride who were preparing for a wedding, in the latest wave of kidnappings in the country.

Officials say the attacks happened in separate locations over the weekend, underscoring how heavily armed criminal gangs continue to target places of worship and vulnerable rural communities. 

Local authorities reported that one group of attackers burst into a rural church in Ejiba, Kogi State, and abducted the clergyman along with a number of worshippers after a swift, violent raid; in a separate incident in Sokoto State a bride and several people who had gathered ahead of a wedding were taken by bandits while they prepared for the ceremony.

Exact casualty figures and the number of people taken vary between reports, with outlets giving totals ranging from about 20 to 26 kidnapped across the incidents. 

Eyewitnesses described chaos as gunmen in multiple groups overran small communities, firing into the air and rounding up men, women and children before disappearing into forested areas that have become hideouts for criminal gangs.

A number of those attacked were said to include churchgoers, choir members and people visiting the pastor’s house; a customary place for brides to stay before their wedding day, which left grieving families cancelling planned ceremonies and appealing for help. 

The abductions come amid a wider national security crisis: in recent weeks there have been repeated mass kidnappings of students and civilians across several states, prompting strong condemnation and growing pressure on the federal government to act.

Authorities and security sources say the gangs, often described as “bandits” or criminal militias rather than insurgent groups, exploit scarce policed rural corridors, demanding ransoms and using kidnappings as a lucrative revenue stream. 

Government officials have promised investigations and increased security deployments in the affected states, and relatives of the abducted have urged negotiators and security agencies to move quickly.