Gunmen abduct scores of train passengers in Nigeria

Gunmen attacked the Igueben railway station in Nigeria's Edo state late Saturday, abducting scores of passengers, police said.

Police spokesman Chidi Nwabuzor said a number of passengers were also injured as gunmen with AK-47 rifles invaded the train station and shot sporadically into the air.

Police said the victims were mostly passengers waiting to board the Itakpe-Warri train.

Security forces visited the crime scene, and started combing operations to rescue the victims and arrest the culprits.

The West African country of Nigeria, which is preparing to elect a new president and lawmakers on Feb. 25, is plagued by widespread insecurity.

Attacks and kidnappings for ransom by criminal groups are frequent in the northwest and central parts of the country.

Last March, eight people were killed and dozens abducted when assailants detonated a bomb on a railway track and opened fire on the train from the capital Abuja to Kaduna.

In October, the authorities announced they had secured the release of the last 23 passengers.