From Maiharaji Altine
The 85 people kidnapped by bandits in Wanzamai village of Tsafe local government of Zamfara state are still in captivity as the bandits demand additional N850.000 from the community to buy two motorcycles.
The victims are mostly women and children who were kidnapped when they went to the bush to fetch firewoods.
Speaking to Analyzer news on phone, an indigene of the area, Abubakar Na,allah said the bandits have again sent a message, demanding additional N850.000 to buy motorcycles.
According to Na,allah, the bandits have directed each of the families of the 85 kidnapped victims to pay additional N10.000 so that the amount of N850.000 could be raised.
Na,allah said, “You know that the bandits have earlier subsidized the ransom from N50 million to N1.7 million but now they have suddenly changed their minds and asked us to pay additional N850.000”.
Na,allah however explained that, the bandits were looking for additional amount of money because their two motorcycles were destroyed by the military personnel during a fight between the bandits and the military personnel.
“The military personnel have destroyed two motorcycles belonging to bandits in an encounter, as such, they (bandits) want the Wanzamai community to pay for the damaged motorcycles”.
He maintained that the people of the community have sourced the sum of N1.7 million as earlier demanded by the bandits and were about to go to bandits camp and make the payment when they got the latest information of additional amount of N850.000.
“We wanted to meet the deadline given to us by the bandits and pay the sum of N1.7 million as they earlier demanded but with this sad development, we have to look for other ways to get the additional N850.000”.
Meanwhile, the state government has said that, it would not withdraw the military personnel from Wanzamai village as requested by the bandits as one of the conditions for them to release the kidnapped victims.
The state’s commissioner for security, DIG (retired) Mamman Tsafe told Analyzer news that, the state government would not be intimidated by bandits to change its security arrangements.
“We will not be intimidated and no pressure from the bandits will make us change our security arrangements”.
Meanwhile, the people of the village have staged a peaceful demonstration on Tuesday to register their annoyance on the alleged plan to transfer the leader of the military personnel deployed to Wanzamai to fight banditry.
