Kidnapping for ransom: 70 bodies of suspected hostages discovered in Nigeria This Israel hater is said to be behind the Fridays for Future Instagram posts

Authorities in Nigeria, West Africa, say they have discovered at least 70 bodies buried near a cattle market.

Investigations into scores of kidnappings have all led to one spot: the cattle market in the small town of Umunneochi in the southeastern state of Abia, the state’s governor, Alex Otti, said on Monday evening. The marketplace is a transfer point for ransoms from kidnappings and arms and drug trafficking.

Authorities discovered dozens of bodies, including children, within 48 hours, Otti said at a news conference. Some were beheaded. According to the governor, decomposed bodies as well as skeletons that had apparently been buried long ago were discovered. The perpetrators are being sought, but concrete information is lacking. It is suspected that the bodies were kidnapping victims whose families could not pay the ransom, Otti said.

In Nigeria, criminal gangs often kidnap people for ransom. The Islamist terror group Boko Haram is mainly active in the northeast of Africa’s most populous country with 220 million inhabitants, while criminal gangs carry out attacks and kidnappings in other parts of Nigeria. (sda/dpa)