Zamfara village grieves as bandits kill 35 over ransom

Zamfara map

Thirty-five kidnapped victims from Banga village in Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State have reportedly been killed by bandits over their failure to pay a N35m ransom.

A resident of the village, Sani Suleiman, told The PUNCH by phone on Sunday that the bandits abducted 53 people from the community and demanded N1m per captive.

According to him, “The 53 kidnapped victims had been in captivity for several months, with only 18 of them able to pay the ransom and were released.”

He continued, “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 said that Banga village was currently under the control of the bandits and appealed to the state government to intervene.

He said, “We are calling on the state government to come to our aid and deploy security personnel to the area before the inhabitants flee to other places for safety.”

When contacted, the Special Adviser to Governor Dauda Lawal on Security Matters, Ahmed Danmanga, confirmed knowledge of the incident but said he could not verify the number of those killed.

He stated, “I am aware that the bandits have killed some residents of Banga village, but 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 round 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 the inadequate number of security personnel,” Danmanga concluded. Punch