A family in Kuda-Kuda village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, is struggling to raise N30 million demanded by suspected bandits for the release of eight relatives abducted about six weeks ago.
The abduction occurred during an attack on the community on June 23, in which the Chief Imam of the village, Liman Audu, and three other residents were killed.
The family said the abductors had rejected offers of between N2 million and N6 million, insisting on the full N30 million ransom before cutting off communication.
A relative of the slain cleric, who spoke anonymously, said the family had pleaded with the kidnappers to reduce the ransom because they could not afford the amount.
“We begged them to reduce the ransom. We even offered to pay up to N6 million, but they rejected it and later stopped communicating with us,” the relative said.
He said the attackers stormed the family compound at night, abducting several women and shooting members of the family during the assault.
According to him, the gunmen also killed three members of the family and later shot three children before rustling livestock from the compound.
Those injured in the attack are currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Goronyo, he said.
Another relative confirmed that eight people remained in captivity, identifying them as Mallam Shehu na Barayar Zaki, Surajo, the late imam’s son, Surajo’s wife, Umma, Hawwau, Hadiza, Safina, Maryamu and Hairatu.
He said the family lacked the financial capacity to meet the kidnappers’ demand.
“None of us has ever handled N100,000 of our own before. We don’t have the capacity to raise such an amount,” he said.
The family also said the abduction had disrupted the planned wedding of one of the victims, whose marriage was scheduled for this month.
The relatives further appealed for assistance, saying they were struggling to pay the medical bills of those injured in the attack and provide food for the affected family members.
A resident of Kuda-Kuda said community members had introduced a levy of N5,000 for each household head and N2,000 for every married woman to support efforts to raise the ransom.
He, however, said the contributions were unlikely to generate up to N1 million because many residents had fled the community following repeated attacks.
He appealed to Nigerians and other well-meaning individuals to support the family in securing the release of the abductees.
The spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said cases of abduction were sometimes not reported to the police when contacted for comment.
The June 23 attack left the Kuda-Kuda community traumatised, with residents still appealing for urgent intervention to secure the release of those in captivity.
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