Regional governor Abdourahamane Moussa explained that US missionary was abducted by six men armed with AK-47s after they entered his garden and demanded money, the broadcaster said. Walton reportedly had only 20,000 CFA ($36), which the perpetrators took before kidnapping him and leaving in the direction of the country's border with Nigerian.
Family of the victim was found safe in his garden, but Walton's whereabouts are currently unknown, the broadcaster said.
In January, at least 89 soldiers lost their lives as the result of an attack on a military post in Chinegodar in Niger. The Daesh* terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In December 2019, terrorists attacked an army camp in western Niger near the Malian border, killing at least 70 soldiers, while 30 others went missing. Daesh also claimed responsibility for the attack.
Niger is part of the G5 anti-jihadist task force, which also includes Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania and is fighting against Boko Haram militants as well as jihadists linked to the Daesh group.
Niger is located in the region of Sahel and has been enmeshed in serious security crisis over Islamic insurgency and related jihadist activities.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
