No fewer than eight people were feared kidnapped after gunmen suspected to be herders stormed the airport in central Nigerian city of Kaduna on Saturday morning, witnesses told Peoples Gazette.

Jonathan Iwar, a grocer at the airport, told the Gazette the attackers breached the airport perimeter fencing and broke into homes in the early hours of Saturday.

A resident of the airport staff quarters told the Gazette the attack occurred around 3:00 a.m. and eight people were abducted, including members of a family and airport casual workers. It was unclear whether the abductors have contacted families of victims to discuss a ransom.

A spokeswoman for the airport authority did not immediately return a request seeking comments from the Gazette about the incident, which came as Kaduna and other parts of the country are witnessing an upsurge in brazen aggression from violent outlaws.

A spokesman for the police in Kaduna also did not return a request for comments. Once considered safe from marauders, Nigerian airports have come under regular breaches in recent years. Lagos, Port-Harcourt and Kano airports have all reported attackers in recent years, with no suspects arrested or charged by law enforcement.