Latest news with #Zamfara
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Nigeria kidnappers kill 35 hostages even after ransom paid
Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed at least 35 people they abducted from a village in northern Zamfara state despite ransoms being paid for their release, a local official told the BBC. In recent years, criminal gangs in the region, known in the country as bandits, have taken to kidnapping people as a means to raise money. In this incident, 56 people were taken from Banga village, Kauran Namoda local government area in March. The gunmen then demanded a ransom of one million naira ($655; £485) per captive, media in Nigeria report. Local government chairman Manniru Haidara Kaura said that most of those killed were young people who "were slaughtered like rams". "What happened was that the bandits demanded ransom money, and after some back-and-forth, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and one young boy, on Saturday," Haidara added. "Only they [the gunmen] know why they killed them. They are senseless and heartless people. They forget that they are killing their own brothers, and we will all meet before Allah." Sixteen of those released on Saturday are in the hospital receiving treatment, while the bodies of the 38 killed by the bandits are unlikely to be returned as in these cases corpses are rarely released. In an attempt to curb the spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a law was enacted in 2022 making it a crime to make ransom payments. It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years, however no-one has ever been arrested on those charges. It also made abduction punishable by death in cases where victims die. But families often feel forced to pay to save their loved ones, citing the government's inability to ensure their safety. You may also be interested in: Nigeria's kidnap crisis: Inside story of a ransom negotiator Nigeria's abductions: What lies behind the resurgence? Schoolboy recounts daring escape from bandits Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Nigeria kidnappers kill 38 hostages even after ransom paid
Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed at least 38 people they abducted from a village in northern Zamfara state despite ransoms being paid for their release, a local official told the BBC. In recent years, criminal gangs in the region, known in the country as bandits, have taken to kidnapping people as a means to raise money. In this incident, 56 people were taken from Banga village, Kauran Namoda local government area in March. The gunmen then demanded a ransom of one million naira ($655; £485) per captive, media in Nigeria report. Local government chairman Manniru Haidara Kaura said that most of those killed were young people who "were slaughtered like rams". "What happened was that the bandits demanded ransom money, and after some back-and-forth, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and one young boy, on Saturday," Haidara added. "Only they [the gunmen] know why they killed them. They are senseless and heartless people. They forget that they are killing their own brothers, and we will all meet before Allah." Sixteen of those released on Saturday are in the hospital receiving treatment, while the bodies of the 38 killed by the bandits are unlikely to be returned as in these cases corpses are rarely released. In an attempt to curb the spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a law was enacted in 2022 making it a crime to make ransom payments. It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years, however no-one has ever been arrested on those charges. It also made abduction punishable by death in cases where victims die. But families often feel forced to pay to save their loved ones, citing the government's inability to ensure their safety. You may also be interested in: Nigeria's kidnap crisis: Inside story of a ransom negotiator Nigeria's abductions: What lies behind the resurgence? Schoolboy recounts daring escape from bandits Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Nigeria kidnappers kill 38 hostages 'like rams'
Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed at least 38 people they abducted from a village in northern Zamfara state despite ransoms being paid for their release, a local official told the BBC. In recent years, criminal gangs in the region, known in the country as bandits, have taken to kidnapping people as a means to raise money. In this incident, 56 people were taken from Banga village, Kauran Namoda local government area in March. The gunmen then demanded a ransom of one million naira ($655; £485) per captive, media in Nigeria report. Local government chairman Manniru Haidara Kaura said that most of those killed were young people who "were slaughtered like rams". "What happened was that the bandits demanded ransom money, and after some back-and-forth, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and one young boy, on Saturday," Haidara added. "Only they [the gunmen] know why they killed them. They are senseless and heartless people. They forget that they are killing their own brothers, and we will all meet before Allah." Sixteen of those released on Saturday are in the hospital receiving treatment, while the bodies of the 38 killed by the bandits are unlikely to be returned as in these cases corpses are rarely released. In an attempt to curb the spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a law was enacted in 2022 making it a crime to make ransom payments. It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years, however no-one has ever been arrested on those charges. It also made abduction punishable by death in cases where victims die. But families often feel forced to pay to save their loved ones, citing the government's inability to ensure their safety. You may also be interested in: Nigeria's kidnap crisis: Inside story of a ransom negotiator Nigeria's abductions: What lies behind the resurgence? Schoolboy recounts daring escape from bandits Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Nigeria kidnapping: Kidnappers in Zamfara kill 38 hostages 'like rams'
Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed at least 38 people they abducted from a village in northern Zamfara state despite ransoms being paid for their release, a local official told the BBC. In recent years, criminal gangs in the region, known in the country as bandits, have taken to kidnapping people as a means to raise this incident, 56 people were taken from Banga village, Kauran Namoda local government area in March. The gunmen then demanded a ransom of one million naira ($655; £485) per captive, media in Nigeria government chairman Manniru Haidara Kaura said that most of those killed were young people who "were slaughtered like rams". "What happened was that the bandits demanded ransom money, and after some back-and-forth, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and one young boy, on Saturday," Haidara added."Only they [the gunmen] know why they killed them. They are senseless and heartless people. They forget that they are killing their own brothers, and we will all meet before Allah."Sixteen of those released on Saturday are in the hospital receiving treatment, while the bodies of the 38 killed by the bandits are unlikely to be returned as in these cases corpses are rarely an attempt to curb the spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a law was enacted in 2022 making it a crime to make ransom payments. It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years, however no-one has ever been arrested on those also made abduction punishable by death in cases where victims families often feel forced to pay to save their loved ones, citing the government's inability to ensure their safety. You may also be interested in: Nigeria's kidnap crisis: Inside story of a ransom negotiatorNigeria's abductions: What lies behind the resurgence?Schoolboy recounts daring escape from bandits Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
At least 9 killed, many abducted in ‘bandit' gang attack in Nigeria
At least nine people have been reported killed and many abducted following an attack in Nigeria's northwest, residents and local officials said, amid increasing violence against farmers by what have been described as 'bandit' gangs. The deadly attack on Friday took place in Zamfara state, the epicentre of attacks by heavily armed men known locally as bandits who have been wreaking havoc across Nigeria's northwest in recent years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road. Hamisu Faru, a local lawmaker, confirmed the attack to the Reuters news agency, saying the assailants took 'no fewer than 100 people, including women and children'. 'As I'm speaking to you right now, they are searching house-to-house, abducting people,' Faru said by phone. Yahaya Yari Abubakar, political administrator of Talata Mafara district, where the attack was carried out, told the AFP news agency that nine people were killed in total and at least 15 local people were abducted. Abu Zaki, a resident of the district's Jangebe village, said the victims included the head of the village's vigilante self-defence group and his five colleagues, along with three residents. 'Everybody is now afraid of going to the farm for fear of being attacked,' said another resident, Bello Ahmadu, who corroborated the reported death village was the scene in 2021 of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students from a boarding school. The girls were freed days later after authorities made a ransom payment. Another resident in the area, Mohammed Usman, told Reuters that the attackers laid siege to the town for nearly two hours before taking their captives. Thousands of residents have now fled the village, he said. Zamfara police did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Nigeria's bandits maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states, in unrest that has evolved from clashes between herders and farmers over land and resources into a broader conflict fuelled by arms trafficking. Zamfara's state government has recruited vigilantes and armed militias to assist the military in fighting the bandits. Last month, vigilantes, with the aid of Nigeria's secret police, killed about 100 people when they raided the enclave of a gang kingpin in the state's Shinkafi district, according to officials.
