Updated 01:44 | Published at 01:25
At least 42 women have been abducted by militant Islamist extremists during an attack in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, local residents told the AP news agency.
A government spokesperson confirmed the abduction, which took place on Tuesday but was not reported until the following day.
The spokesperson also said that the extremists requested a ransom for each abducted woman of the equivalent of 55 dollars (600 Swedish kronor), which the locals are now trying to negotiate down.
The women, who locals say came from a camp for internally displaced people in the nearby Mafa district, were attacked while they were out collecting firewood in Jere in the conflict-ridden state of Borno near the border with Cameroon.