Kidnappers have reportedly asked for a ransom of N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles for the release of 16 residents abducted from Gonin-Gora community, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis in Chikun Local Government.
Bandits on Wednesday 28 February attacked the community, kidnapping 16 residents.
It would be recalled that on the following day, hundreds of youths from the community blocked the Abuja-Kaduna highway to protest the attack.
On Monday, leaders of the community said the bandits have demanded an unreasonable ransom of N40trillion, an amount almost twice the 2024 national budget.
The ransom demand was coming barely four days after 287 school children were abducted at Kuriga, another Chikun community.
One of the Gonin-Gora Community leaders, John Yusuf, said the bandits demanded N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans and 150 brand new motorcycles for the release of the victims.
According to him: “The bandits have contacted us, they are demanding N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles for the release of 16 people they are holding captive.
“Where are we going to get this kind of money? Even if we sell the entire community, we cannot raise N40 trillion. Even Nigeria as a country has never made a budget of N40 trillion.”
He explained: “The abductions happened twice within four days interval. During the first attack, three people were kidnapped while in the second attack, 13 people were abducted bringing the total number of people being held captive to 16.”
He lamented the vast bushes bordering the community and Birnin Gwari Local Government Area and called for the establishment of a military base in the area to check the activities of the criminals.
“We are pleading with the government to come to our aid by establishing a military base behind our community where the bandits take advantage of the bushes to invade our community.
“From our community down to Birnin Gwari, which is over 150 kilometres, is a stretch of bush. We also have another stretch of bushes from Gonin Gora down to Niger State. So, the criminals have free access through the bushes to our community. We are pleading with the government to help us,” the community leader pleaded.
“The army is really trying, despite the fact that they are seriously overstretched. Whenever we make distress calls, they come. But the problem is that before they reach the community, the bandits would have done what they wanted and left,” he explained.
