No fewer than 50 abducted residents of Garin Idi community in Sokoto State have regained their freedom after bandits reportedly collected part of a ransom payment, but the attackers are said to be demanding an additional ₦600,000.
The victims were kidnapped during a late-night attack on the community, the hometown of Sokoto State Deputy Governor Idris Mohammed Gobir. According to residents, the gunmen stormed the village around 11 p.m. on Monday and operated until about 1 a.m., firing sporadically before splitting into groups.
A local hunter, Lawali, said one group abducted about 30 women from a family house, while another group kidnapped more than 20 men, including elderly residents and Qur’anic students, from an Islamic school, bringing the total number of abductees to over 50.
According to him, the bandits later released one captive to invite the village head, the Imam and other community leaders for negotiations in the forest. During the meeting, the attackers reportedly demanded ₦1.6 million for the release of the victims.
Residents said they raised ₦600,000 through community contributions, which was handed over to the bandits. The abductors subsequently released all the captives but allegedly insisted that the remaining ₦600,000 must be paid within two days.
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Villagers also claimed the bandits returned to the community the following evening, demanding either more victims or an additional ₦300,000. The community reportedly paid the money before the attackers left several hours later.
The residents have appealed to the government and security agencies to improve security in the area and protect communities from recurring attacks.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said the command had not officially received a report of the incident, noting that many rural communities often fail to report such attacks to the police.
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