The sisters were abducted by gunmen in Abuja on January 2. Photo: Others

Several Nigerian sisters kidnapped earlier this month have been rescued and reunited with their family, police in the capital Abuja said.

The abduction of the six sisters in Bwari area on the outskirts of Abuja by an armed gang seeking ranson had sparked a nationwide outcry and further highlighted the country's kidnapping crisis.

Security forces tracked down the kidnappers to a location near a forest in Kaduna state which borders the capital, police said in a statement on Saturday. One of the abductees, 21-year-old Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, was killed in captivity.

The authorities have not given details of the circumstances of the rescue operations and whether a ransom was paid or there was a battle with the gunmen.

Spate of kidnappings

The sisters were seized at the start of the year by armed men who burst into their home just 15 miles (25 kilometres) from Abuja city centre.

Kidnapping for ransom has been a major problem in Nigeria with criminal gangs targeting people on highways, communities and schools in recent years.

The problem had subsided in the past few months but there has been a resurgence in recent weeks with the country's being one of the affected places.

President Bola Tinubu had condemned what he called the "recent spate of kidnappings and bandit attacks".

Tinubu came to office last year vowing to tackle Nigeria's insecurity, including in the northeast and criminal militias in the northwest.

The president said he plans to address the root causes of the violence through education, but did not outline a precise strategy.

Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.

TRT Afrika