Bandits abducted 16 residents of Kaduna’s Gonin Gora region and demanded a ransom of N40 trillion for their release.
On Wednesday, February 28, bandits raided the Gonin-Gora hamlet, a suburb of Kaduna in the Chikun Local Government Area, snatching 16 people.
The ransom demand comes just four days after 287 pupils were kidnapped in Kuriga, another village near Chikun.
John Yusuf, a local community leader, confirmed this during a phone chat with The Nation Newspaper in Kaduna on Monday.
He said, “The bandits have contacted us. They are demanding N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans, and 150 motorcycles for the release of 16 people they are holding captive.
“Where are we going to get this kind of money? Even if we sell the entire community, we cannot raise N40 trillion. Even Nigeria as a country has never made a budget of N40 trillion.”
The community leader said the bandits invaded the community two times within a week.
“The abductions happened twice within a four-day interval. During the first attack, three people were kidnapped, while in the second attack, 13 people were abducted, bringing the total number of people being held captive to 16.”
He expressed concern about the extensive bushes bordering the community and the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state.
He called for the establishment of a military base in the area to curb the activities of the criminals.
“We are pleading with the government to come to our aid by establishing a military base behind our community where the bandits take advantage of the bushes to invade our community.
“From our community down to Birnin Gwari, which is over 150 kilometres, is a stretch of bush.
“We also have another stretch of bushes from Gonin Gora down to Niger State.
“So when the criminals have free access through the bushes to our community, we are pleading with government to help us,” the community leader pleaded.