Gunmen abducted at least 20 people, including a pastor and a new bride, in separate attacks in Kogi, Sokoto State.
On Sunday, in the central Kogi state, the attackers invaded the recently constructed Cherubim and Seraphim Church, blazing shots and causing worried members to leave. They seized the pastor, his wife and other worshippers.
Schools and places of worship have increasingly been targeted in the recent wave of attacks in north and central Nigeria.
Kogi state government spokesman Kingsley Fanwo confirmed the attack in Ejiba but was unable to confirm the numbers.
He said authorities were working to track down the attackers.
“The security network, comprising the conventional security agencies and the local security architecture are currently doing what they should do,”
In another incident, a bride and her bridesmaids were abducted on Saturday during another raid in the Chacho village, Wurno Local Government Area, Sokoto State. According to reports, a baby, the baby’s mother, and another woman were also seized.
In the attack in the mostly Muslim Sokoto state, local media reported that the bride had been preparing for a wedding ceremony the following morning and she was seized alongside her friends and other guests who had gone to support her.
Some 250 schoolchildren and 12 teachers are still believed to be missing following the biggest such attack in recent weeks, while those seized in other raids have reportedly been released.