Bandits release 40 kidnap victims in Niger State

Bandits have freed 40 out of 150 people they abducted three weeks ago at Kuchi in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.

The villagers, mostly women and children, were released after the payment of ransoms by the community.

Sources in the community said families and friends of the victims contributed money to buy six Honda motorcycles, valued at N1.2 million each, and add an extra cash of N2 million for the bandits.

A reliable source who spoke from Kuchi to a PREMIUM TIMES correspondent in Minna on the telephone on Tuesday said the bandits are still holding on to 110 villagers for whom ransoms are being negotiated.

The source said the bandits have asked for another set of six motorcycles and N2 million cash for the release of another batch of 40 hostages.

They said negotiations were still ongoing between the bandits and community leaders.

The outlaws had invaded the community three weeks ago, during which they killed seven people, including four security agents, and abducted 150 villagers.

They looted shops, houses and grain barns in a siege the villagers said lasted for over three hours.

Two weeks after the abduction, the bandits demanded an N150million ransom for the release of the victims, angrily rejecting N100,000 offered by the community for each victim.

“We have been negotiating with them (bandits), but finally they agreed to collect six Honda motorcycles and N2 million to release two groups totalling 40.

“They divided the 150 people they abducted into six groups and said we should bring six Honda motorcycles and N2 million cash for each of the groups. This is after they rejected our initial offer of N100,000 for each person. They have released two groups, remaining four groups”, our source said.

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According to our source, since the attack occurred three weeks ago, government officials or security agents have not visited the community.

”Our community is left without security at the moment, and it has been deserted,” the source said.

There has been no official statement from either the government or security agencies over the attack, except the chairperson of the local government, Aminu Najume, who confirmed the abduction on the telephone.

However when contacted on the release of the 40 people, Mr Najume said his council was not involved in the negotiation as it was entirely between the community and the bandits.