Grief and outrage have engulfed Banga village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State after armed bandits executed 38 kidnapped residents, despite collecting a ransom reportedly exceeding ₦50 million.
The Chairman of Kaura Namoda LGA, Mannir Haidara Kaura, confirmed the chilling incident in an interview with Newsmen. He disclosed that 56 villagers were abducted, out of which only 18 have returned alive and are currently receiving medical care.
“We took the surviving 18 to the hospital. They’re undergoing treatment. We’re also preparing to visit the bereaved families with officials from the state government,” Kaura said.
According to Ibrahim Banga, a local resident and relative of some victims, the abductions occurred weeks ago when the gunmen invaded the remote farming community. The captors initially demanded ₦1 million per hostage, prompting desperate residents to mobilize and deliver the ransom in hopes of securing their loved ones’ freedom.
Banga revealed that the freed captives recounted harrowing tales of systematic execution of the remaining 38 victims.
“They told us the bandits slaughtered them one by one during captivity,” he said, his voice laden with grief.
The community now faces a double trauma — the financial devastation from the ransom and the emotional ruin from the massacre.
Residents are urgently appealing to the federal and Zamfara State governments to deploy security forces to the area, citing the unchecked activities of terrorists who operate with impunity across the state’s vast forests.
“We need military presence. Without it, we cannot return to our homes. These criminals are still holding others,” Banga pleaded.
Despite increased military operations and federal counterinsurgency initiatives, ransom killings, mass abductions, and village raids remain tragically common.
