…A family member said, “We sold our livestock and belongings and sought help from kind-hearted people before we could raise the ransom.”
SOKOTO, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Family Relief tinged with deep sorrow spread across Chacho village in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State as a bride-to-be and her bridesmaids regained their freedom after about 49 traumatic days in the custody of bandits.
Community sources said the victims were released only after their families managed, with great difficulty, to raise a ransom of ₦10 million, in addition to three brand-new motorcycles and other items, underscoring the severe human and economic toll of insecurity on rural communities.
Before the abduction, the village had been aglow with excitement as wedding preparations reached their final stage. That joy, however, turned into despair less than 24 hours to the ceremony when armed men invaded the community at night, went straight to the bride’s home and abducted her alongside her friends.
A family member, who asked not to be named, said the attack threw the entire community into shock and fear, as residents were powerless against the heavily armed assailants.
The source disclosed that information later emerged that the captives were held in a bandits’ camp deep inside the Sububu Forest, stretching across parts of Isa and Sabon Birni local government areas.
The forest, which extends into Zamfara State and the Niger Republic, is widely known as a haven for criminal gangs responsible for repeated attacks on communities in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
Following their release, a relative said the victims were immediately taken to a hospital at an undisclosed location for medical attention, citing security concerns and their weakened condition.
The relative explained that the lengthy captivity was due to the family’s inability to quickly meet the bandits’ ever-changing ransom demands.
“We are villagers; we don’t have such money readily available,” the source said. “We sold our livestock and belongings and sought help from kind-hearted people before we could raise the ransom.”
He added that negotiations dragged on for about seven weeks, eventually costing the family ₦10 million in cash, three motorcycles worth about ₦1.8 million each, as well as food items demanded by the abductors.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Rufai, said the command had yet to receive full details of the incident but assured that it would liaise with the relevant divisional office, as calls continue for lasting solutions to the country’s worsening security challenges.
