Nigeria: terrorist demand N20k for each of 85 kidnapped victims

Reports in Nigeria say a terrorist group have kidnapped 85 people from the village of Wanzamai of Tsafe local government area in Zamfara State. The group which operates in Zamfara and Katsina states abducted 85 people on Friday. The victims are women and children who are reported to have gone to search for firewood in the forest.

According to a native of the area who spoke to the Daily Post said the terrorists have following negotiations come to terms with the economic situation of the victims’ families. They have thus reduced their demand to N20,000 for each person.

“The terrorists had earlier made a demand of N50 million for the kidnapped victims to regain their freedom. The 85 kidnapped victims are mostly women and children who went to the forest to get fire wood last Friday,” the native said as reported by the Daily Post.

According to him, the terrorists have promised to continue to haunt the community until the military withdraws from the area. “They also asked us to inform the appropriate authorities that they would continue to attack the village if the soldiers continue to remain in the area.”

The action by the terrorist was probably a reprisal attack following a military attack on their camp which resulted in the death of some bandits. “There was an attack on the bandits’ camp by the military last Thursday where some bandits were killed”.

Following the military invasion of the terrorist camp on Thursday, villagers were warned from going to the forest. However, some of them did not take that seriously and decided to go. “The people of the village were told not to go to the forest last Friday because of the fear that the bandits might attack them but unfortunately some women and children did not heed the warning”.

“They went to the forest to get fire woods not knowing that the bandits were hiding there and they were all abducted,” the native said in a telephone interview with the Daily Post.