Residents of Banga village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State are mourning after armed bandits gruesomely killed 38 abducted villagers, despite receiving a ransom payment of ₦50 million.
The Chairman of Kaura Namoda LGA, Hon. Mannir Haidara Kaura, confirmed the heartbreaking incident in an interview, stating that the bandits had initially kidnapped 56 residents during a raid on the community. He revealed that after prolonged negotiations, 18 victims were released, but tragically, the remaining hostages were executed by their captors.
“From the reports I have as the local government chairman, 56 people were taken by the bandits, and only 18 have returned,” he said. “We immediately took the rescued victims to the hospital for urgent medical care. We are now working with the state government to visit the bereaved families.”
A local resident, Ibrahim Banga, who spoke to Channels Television, detailed how the kidnappers invaded the village several months ago and demanded ₦1 million ransom per hostage. Despite the community’s efforts to gather the funds, only 18 hostages were freed.
He further revealed the horror shared by the survivors, who recounted that 35 of their fellow abductees were killed in captivity, slaughtered one after the other.
Banga called on the Federal Government and Zamfara State Government to immediately deploy military forces to the area to combat the rising insecurity. He stressed the urgent need for security intervention to ensure the rescue of those still in captivity and to enable displaced villagers to return home safely.
The recent attack underscores the worsening security situation in Zamfara, where banditry and mass kidnappings have become a devastating norm, despite ongoing efforts to curb criminal activities in the region.
