No fewer than thirty-five kidnapped victims from Banga village in Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State were reportedly killed by bandits after failing to pay a N35 million ransom.
An indigene of the village, Sani Suleiman, revealed this in a telephone interview with PUNCH Online on Sunday. He explained that bandits had abducted 53 people from Banga village and demanded a ransom of one million naira for each captive.
According to him, the victims had been held in captivity for several months. Out of the 53 kidnapped individuals, only 18 who managed to pay the ransom were released.
He stated that the remaining 35, who were unable to raise the required amount, were brutally slaughtered one after the other by the bandits.
He said, “Those who were released after paying the ransom told us that the bandits slaughtered the remaining 35 captives who could not pay the ransom one after the other in their presence.”
Suleiman further explained that their village was currently under the bandits’ control.
He called on the state government to come to their aid and deploy security personnel to the area before the inhabitants flee to other places for safety.
When contacted for a reaction, the Special Adviser to Governor Dauda Lawal on Security Matters, Ahmed Danmanga, confirmed awareness of the incident but stated that he was not certain about the exact number of residents killed.
He added that the state government has since deployed mobile police personnel to Banga village to forestall further attacks by the bandits.
He said, “I am aware that the bandits have killed some residents of Banga village, but actually I don’t know the exact number of people killed.
“As I am talking to you now, we have deployed mobile police to protect the lives and properties of the people of the village.
“Zamfara State Government is working around the clock to ensure that the people of the state are given maximum protection against banditry and other criminal activities.
“We are, however, handicapped due to an inadequate number of security personnel,” Danmanga concluded.