After a raid on a Nigerian highway, gunmen abduct dozens of people.
Many people are hesitant to utilize it because rail service was interrupted in March following a shooting incident on a passenger train that killed nine people. Hundreds of people were kidnapped during the attack and are still being held captive.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia 
On the highway between Nigeria's capital, Abuja, and the northern city of Kaduna, gunmen have abducted dozens of people. Armed gangs responsible for kidnappings for ransom around the region frequently strike the busy thoroughfare.
On Tuesday evening, witnesses said the kidnappers stopped the route, trapping dozens of vehicles, shooting fire, and abducting several passengers.
The security forces retaliated by engaging the gunmen in combat.
A witness to the raid told the BBC that roughly 40 individuals were kidnapped. The raid was verified by Kaduna state's commissioner for internal security, Samuel Aruwan, who could not say how many people were kidnapped.
Because of regular kidnapping gang attacks, the Abuja-Kaduna expressway is perhaps Nigeria's most dangerous road.
Many people are hesitant to utilize it because rail service was interrupted in March following a shooting incident on a passenger train that killed nine people. Hundreds of people were kidnapped during the attack and are still being held captive.
Train services are expected to resume in the following days, according to police, when the assailants' rail track has been repaired.
