Bandits Abduct Over 50 in Sokoto, Demand Ransom

Bandits abducted over 50 individuals in a Sokoto community between 10 p.m. on Monday and 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The attackers split into two groups; one group abducted about 30 women, while the other took more than 20 men from an Islamic school, totaling over 50 victims.

Before leaving, the bandits released one captive to negotiate with community leaders, demanding N1 million for the women and N600,000 for the men. The community raised N600,000, which was delivered to the bandits, leading to the release of all abductees.

However, the bandits insisted on an additional N1 million within two days. Following this, they returned to demand either more victims or N300,000, which the villagers quickly raised.

Residents expressed fears for their safety, recalling a previous incident where a blind man was killed for failing to pay ransom. DSP Ahmad Rufai from the Sokoto State Police Command stated they had not received reports of the incident, attributing this to underreporting in rural areas.