Bandits Received N26m Before Releasing Katsina Village Head, 35 Others

The village head of Guga in Bakori Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State has been released by his captors, alongside 35 others abducted on February 7.

Their release came 29 days after armed men stormed the community and abducted them. Ten residents had lost their lives during the attack.

The son-in-law of the traditional ruler, Nafiu Muhammadu confirmed to Premium Times that the abductors received N26 million before freeing their victims.

Muhammadu said the kidnappers had reached out to the family two days after the abduction to demand N30 million ransom.

After several negotiations, the bandits requested that the sum of five million be paid to release the monarch and another five million for 35 others.

In another interview, another son of the monarch, Abdullahi Umar, added that family members had rallied round for the ransom, but after it was paid, the kidnappers said the N10 million was compensation for the killing of some bandits by vigilantes in the area.

“They said we should go and add N20m if we were serious about saving our people. We had to go back again and gather N16 million, after which they told us to go back home and wait for our people,” he said.

Umar revealed that they had sought the help of influential members of the community as well as concerned residents to raise money.

He said the captives were subsequently released as promised on Sunday evening. They were also examined by medical practitioners from the Bakori LGA.

As of February, non-state actors have killed at least 52 people in different attacks, notable among them was the killing of DSP Abdullahi Rano, a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the Jibiya LGA of the state.