63 residents abducted by gunmen demand N200,000 recharge card as part of ransom

Bandits have abducted 63 people from three communities in Pandogari District of Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

It was learned that 41 persons were abducted from Durmin, 14 from Jarmiya and eight from Pandogari.

A source close to the villages told The Nation that eight people from Jarmiya were freed on Thursday night after the gunmen collected N6million ransom and two motorcycles, leaving six others in captivity, adding that the gunmen were demanding for additional N200,000 for recharge card for the release of the remaining six.

At Durmin, only eight have regained their freedom after the gunmen collected N8millions from the relations of the villagers, leaving 33 others in captivity even as the entire village has been deserted and the people relocated to Pandogari town.

It will be recalled that the people of Durmin had during the rainy season paid N20million levy to the gunmen to allow them to farm only for them (gunmen to return to the village on Thursday and abducted 41 people.

Also at Pandogari town, eight people were abducted including two women and their children in an early morning raid by another group of gunmen.

While two of them were freed midway into the journey to go and source for ransom money, six were being held by the gunmen who are demanding N2million for the release of each victim.

However, the 13 victims rescued by the Joint Security Task Force on Friday include, nine male and four female who were abducted from Maje Daji community within Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Gwalu village via Kafin-koro in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State.

All the victims were being held captive around Bonu, Gwalu, and Chimbi Koro communities of Gurara and Paikoro local government areas of the state.

The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umar, in a statement, gave the names of the rescued victims. He disclosed that the victims were rescued on Friday at about 1:30pm following a tip off that some roving bandits were sighted around the area.

The statement further added that all the victims were taken to a government medical facility for examination after which they were reunited with their families.