By Citizenship Newspaper
No fewer than 114 persons have been abducted by armed bandits in 21 villages across three neighboring local government areas including Bakura, Anka and Talata Mafara of Zamfara State on Thursday evening.
A resident of Bakura local government area identified as Lurwanu Bashar Tunga said the bandits had simultenuously invaded some villages on Thursday evening and asked all members of the affected communities to lie down after which they chose their targeted victims as given by their informants.
According to him, the bandits’ leader brought out a list which carried the names of the victims for the day’s abduction and were asked to group themselves at one side before moving them to the bush for ransom as usual.
“During their ungodly operations, if a victim failed to answer immediately, he would be caned until he is unconscious and his ransom might double what he was expected to pay.
Another resident of Anka local government, Malam Nuhu Kankana, cried that, it was merciless, as they asked all the victims in their list to remove their clothes and be caned as if they would not be spared at the moment before overloading them on bikes to their enclaves down the bush.
Similarly, Lawali Maikayan Miya of Talata Mafara, narrated that people across some villages had severally made calls to their friends and relatives residing in the Mafara local government headquarters with to assist them by informing security agents to rescue them but finally proved abortive.
He said, they boldly told the relatives of the abducted persons, that they should ensure that money is ready for the payments of ransom before they have them released, or else they lose them for ever.
Lawali Maikayan Miya said their investigation showed that 114 persons across affected villages have been abducted. “They are now in the bandits’ custody down the bush, only God can save them because most of the victims’ relatives are currently running around for money”.
He said that there are still six villages under Talata Mafara and Bakura which could not complete their findings for the number of people being abducted by the bandits.
