Kaduna villagers flee after bandits give 7-day ultimatum to raise N6m

Residents of Kohoto community in Kagarko LGA of Kaduna State have fled their homes after bandits issued a seven-day ultimatum to raise a N6 million ransom.

The bandits threatened to set the entire community on fire if the money is not paid for the release of the abducted wife and four children of a vigilante member, identified as Tanimu Lawal.

Abuja Metro previously reported that Kohoto and three neighboring villages were attacked last Thursday, during which several cows were rustled and four people were abducted.

Confirming the latest development via telephone on Tuesday, a resident of Kohoto, Isyaku Garba, said the bandits called on Saturday around 11am. They demanded that the community raise N6 million within seven days or face the total destruction of their village.

He noted that the bandits contacted a relative of the victims and threatened to unleash further mayhem if the deadline is not met.

The victims—the vigilante’s wife, Mrs. Sahura Tanimu, and her four children—were originally abducted late December last year during an attack on the community.

According to Garba, the woman had just returned from the hospital the day before she and her children were seized after the bandits missed their primary target, her husband.

“As I am talking to you, the entire Kohoto village is deserted. Majority of the villagers have fled to Kagarko town with their families because we don’t know how or where to raise the N6 million the bandits are demanding,” Garba said.

A community leader from the area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed the situation to our reporter on Tuesday.

He revealed that despite the bandits having already killed one of the vigilante’s children in captivity, they are still demanding the full N6 million from the community.

The leader expressed frustration over the incessant attacks, stating that he had reached out to security operatives in Kagarko town without receiving a response to his distress calls.

“Even as the community leader, I have to move to another location because of the threat to burn down the entire village. The security operatives are not taking any measures,” he said.

The community leader also disclosed that six other people were abducted on Monday night at Tsaunin Abbe village, near Kagarko town.

He said the bandits invaded the community around 10:34pm amid sporadic shooting and whisked away the victims, Haruna Abubakar, Sani Abubakar, Umar Abubakar, Laraba Abubakar, Hussaina Abubakar, and Hassan Abubakar.

“All these victims are from one family, and their abductors are yet to contact any relations,” he added.

The spokesman for the Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Hassan Mansur, had yet to confirm the incidents at the time of filing this report.

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