From JOHN FWAH, Kaduna
Bandits who invaded Goningora community in Kaduna and kidnapped about 16 people, have demanded N40 trillion, 150 bikes, and others as a ransom to release the residents abducted.
A community leader of the area, John Yusuf, disclosed this in a telephone interview recently in Kaduna. Yusuf said the bandits called and demanded N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans, and 150 brand-new motorcycles for the release of the victims.
This is the first time bandits would make such a huge demand since abduction for ransom started in Nigeria, some of the residents of Kaduna observed.
On February 28, bandits killed two residents of Anguwan Auta in Goningora and abducted several others. After the attack, residents of the area on February 29, blocked the Kaduna-Abuja highway for several hours to protest against the killing and abduction.
Yusuf said the bandits attacked the community twice within the week. “The bandits have contacted us and are demanding N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles for the release of 16 people they are holding captive,” he said.
“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, ” Shehu lamented.
“The abductions happened twice within four days 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,” Shehu disclosed.
He said the communities in Birnin Gwari are surrounded by bushes, serving as hideouts for the bandits, adding that the establishment of a military base would tackle the criminal operations in the area.
“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,” Yusuf said.
“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.
“We are pleading with the government to help us. The army is really trying, despite the fact that they are seriously overstretched. Whenever we make distressed calls, they come.
“But the problem is that before they reach the community, the bandits would have done what they wanted and left.”
He called on the federal government to take necessary actions to address banditry saying, “If not, it is going to consume all of us.”
