ABUJA, Nigeria, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Armed men have kidnapped hundreds of women in northern Nigeria and forced them to be sex slaves and cooks, security officials said.
At least 200 young girls, middle-age women and housewives have been kidnapped in the states of Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna, the Nigerian Tribune reported Monday.
The kidnappers, described as militants and bandits, are reportedly hiding in the Birnin Gwari and two other forests in Zamfara state where they were forced to take refuge after conflicts with government troops and villagers in the area of Birnin Gwari stopped carrying cash.
"Many of the kidnapped women have not been seen for some time," an official said.
Separately, 20 people were reported killed and 10 others injured in an attack Sunday by suspected Boko Haram militants on a village in Borno state.
The attackers, dressed in military uniforms, left with some women and money they had taken from truck drivers.
Soldiers pursued the gunmen into a forest, but there were no reports about subsequent casualties or arrests.
