The kidnappings occurred in a remote area in northeastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have operated. Kidnappings have plagued Nigeria for years, mostly targeting women.

At least 47 women are missing after suspected Islamist insurgents carried out a mass kidnapping in a remote area of northeastern Nigeria's Borno state.

The incident happened days ago, but details only started emerging Wednesday due to the area's remote nature.

Some 50 woman were initially taken, but some managed to escape.

Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are both known to have operated in Borno state.

What do we know about the kidnapping?

Women from displacement camps in Ngala, near the borders with Cameroon and Chad, were gathering firewood when they were "rounded up by ISWAP insurgents," anti-jihadist militia leaders told the French AFP news agency.

The victims were ambushed by gunmen and made to walk across bush paths to neighboring Chad, an official of the Civilian Joint Task Force told the Reuters news agency. Three of the women managed to escape, the official added.

One of the women, Falmata Bukar, told Reuters the gunmen had "surrounded us and we were asked to follow them to the bush."

AFP cited an officer at the Ngala Local Government Information Unit as saying he had received reports of an even higher number of abductees, though he did not specify the number.

Nigeria has grappled with mass kidnappings, particularly targeting women, as it struggles to contain criminal militias and intercommunal violence.

rmt/lo (AFP, Reuters)