No fewer than 35 kidnapped residents of Banga village in Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State have reportedly been slaughtered by bandits after failing to pay a ₦35 million ransom.
PUNCH report that a villager, Sani Suleiman, revealed that the bandits had abducted 53 people from the community and demanded one million naira from each captive.
According to Suleiman, the victims had been in captivity for several months. Only 18 of them were released after successfully paying the ransom.
“The remaining 35 captives who could not pay the ransom were slaughtered one after the other,” he said. “Those who were released after paying the ransom told us that the bandits slaughtered the remaining 35 captives one after the other in their presence.”
Suleiman added that the village is currently under the control of the bandits, urging the state government to urgently deploy security forces before residents are forced to flee in search of safety.
When contacted, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Dauda Lawal, Ahmed Danmanga, confirmed the attack but said he could not verify the exact number of casualties.
“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,” Danmanga stated.
“As I am talking to you now, we have deployed mobile police to protect the lives and properties of the people of the village,” he added.
Danmanga assured that the Zamfara State Government was working round the clock to ensure the safety of residents, but noted challenges due to insufficient security personnel.
“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,” he concluded.