Armed men kidnapped around thirty people from two Christian communities in Kaduna State (northwest Nigeria) on Wednesday, local religious sources said on Thursday, adding that eleven of the hostages were eventually able to escape their captors.

Criminal gangs known as "bandits", but also jihadists, regularly attack communities and villages in this northwestern part of Nigeria, as well as in the center of the country, where they kidnap people for ransom.

"Bandits attacked the communities of Kutaho and Kugir, and kidnapped about 30 people, including a catechist, his pregnant wife and their child," Reverend Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the north of the country, told AFP.

"But we have learned that 11 of them have escaped and we are in contact with security agencies to recover the others," Hayab said.

Interviewed on a local television channel, a priest based in Kutaho, Linus Bobai, confirmed these kidnappings, assuring that the hostages had been taken to a locality near the border with the State of Niger.

Last week, at least 51 people were kidnapped and three killed in three days, in attacks on four localities in southern Kaduna State, in a neighboring constituency.

Last month, 183 Christian worshippers were abducted from three churches in the village of Kauran Wali, in the neighboring district of Kajuru.

They were released three weeks later in two groups following negotiations between the Kaduna State government and their captors. It is unknown whether a ransom was paid.