Residents of Bakiyawa village of Batagarawa area of Katsina State have been thrown into panic after terrorists who abducted 43 residents of the village demanded N250 million as ransom to release the abductees.
The terrorists invaded the community on Wednesday, 14 September, killed four residents, abducted 44, looted shops and rustled cattle.
Zaharadden Tukur, whose father Tukur Makeri was one of the four residents killed, said he has now become the breadwinner of a family of 11 children and two wives.
“When they attacked our community, they went into our house shooting sporadically. My father quickly ran out of his room to talk to them. He pleaded with them to leave us alone but they refused. They asked him to surrender his phone which he did. They asked him for money and he gave them but they said he should add more. He told them he didn’t have any money left but they insisted,” Mr Tukur said.
He said the terrorists eventually killed his father.
Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES about ransom demand, Yusuf Laura, a resident of the community said the terrorists called him and told him the amount they wanted as ransom to release the captives.
“They called me around 07:00 p.m on Thursday and told me that they were holding 43 of our people. Out of that number, 11 are biologically related to me including my wife and daughters.”
Mr Laura said the leader of the gang holding the residents asked him (Mr Laura) if his immediate family was among those abducted.
“I told him that my wife, Bilkisu, Ummulsalma, a two-year-old daughter and my eldest daughter, Shafa’atu who is a student of the Federal College of Education Katsina and Ibrahim. They’re all with the bandits and I’ve not spoken with them since,” he said.
“Last Monday (19, September) they called me again around 3:17 p.m and asked what we were waiting for (to pay the ransom). It’s something that we must do but it’s not easy, especially because when they came, they took away everything of value in the community. So, in this community, nobody can tell you that we can get half of that amount” Mr Laura said.
Mr Laura, whose shop was also looted, said there is an air of uncertainty and fear in the community as residents await what the terrorists will do next.
“The government has not said anything to us not to talk of helping us rescue our people. But we’ve now resorted to prayers for God’s interventions,” he said.
Nura Sada, another resident, said it is impossible for residents of the community to raise the random the terrorists want.
“Nearly every household is affected. In some houses, more than five people were abducted. We’re meeting to see how we could talk to the terrorists to reduce the money but how do we even start gathering the such amount of money when we no longer have domestic animals to sell? It’ll be difficult,” he said.
The police spokesperson in Katsina State, Gambo Isa, said he has not been officially briefed about the N250 million ransom the kidnappers are demanding.
“I’ve not been briefed on the matter (ransom demand) so, I don’t know but the command is making efforts to rescue those abducted in Bakiyawa and other communities in the state,” Mr, Isa told PREMIUM TIMES over that phone.
