Search operations are underway as Nigerian authorities confirm that six people were kidnapped and one shot dead, close to the north-western city of Kaduna on Sunday.

The hijack happened in a remote part of the Millennium City suburb.

“The government is concerned about the security situation in Kaduna state,” Kaduna State Minister for Internal Security Samuel Aruwan told the BBC, adding, “We are working with security agencies to improve the situation. Members of the public need to participate and share vital information with security agencies.”

Hijacks for ransom are common in northern Nigeria, especially on the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

Both the rich and the poor are targeted as criminals demand ransoms. Those whose families fail to pay are sometimes killed.