Ecowas, the West African bloc, condemned the kidnapping of 80 people in northern Nigeria last week.
Many of those kidnapped in Zamfara state were women and teenagers who were out gathering firewood.
Ecowas demanded the children’s release in a statement. It is unknown who carried out the kidnappings.
Armed criminal gangs have kidnapped many people in Zamfara, often for ransom. The incident is the most recent in a string of violent crimes in Nigeria.
Last week, armed gangs killed more than 70 people in two separate attacks in the central state of Benue.
On Friday, gunmen attacked a camp for internally displaced people in the Mgban area, killing dozens.
A week ago, a number of residents in the remote village of Umogidi were shot. Some were beheaded.
