Boko Haram kidnaps at least 185 people in Nigeria

Maiduguri - Boko Haram has kidnapped at least 185 people from the northeast Nigeria village of Gumsuri, carting the hostages away on trucks towards the Sambisa Forest, a notorious rebel stronghold, two local officials and a vigilante leader said on Thursday.

The mass abduction occurred on Sunday. Both officials, who requested anonymity, said the local government established the number of people abducted by contacting families, ward heads and emirs.

A vigilante leader based in the Borno state capital Maiduguri, Usman Kakani, told AFP that civilian fighters who were in Gumsuri during the attack provided a figure of 191 abducted, including women, girls and boys.