Bandits have killed 38 residents abducted in Banga village, Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, after collecting N50 million as ransom.

Confirming the incident to Channels Television, the Chairman of Kaura-Namoda LGA, Mannir Haidara Kaura, said 56 persons were initially abducted from the village, and 18 were later released.

Kaura further disclosed that the freed 18 victims have been admitted to hospital for medical treatment.

“From the information I got as the chairman of the local government, 56 were abducted by the bandits and only 18 returned.

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“We took the remaining 18 people to hospital, they are on medication. We are also preparing to go with the state government to go and see the families of those that lost their lives,” the LG chairman said.

A resident of the village, Ibrahim Banga, earlier informed Channels Television that the bandits invaded the community months ago and abducted 53 people.

According to him, the kidnappers demanded N1 million per hostage, and after several weeks, the community managed to raise and deliver the money.

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However, only 18 of the captives were eventually released.

“Upon their return, the freed victims recounted how the bandits slaughtered the remaining 35 abductees, killing them one after the other during their captivity,” the resident said.

He appealed to both the federal and Zamfara State governments to urgently extend military operations to the area, which he said would help restore peace, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and rescue those still held by the criminals.

Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos on Monday staged a protest at the House of Assembly complex, demanding the immediate removal of the party’s state chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi.

The demonstrators, reportedly drawn from the 57 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, across the state, converged at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja, holding placards with messages like ‘Ojelabi Must Go’ and ‘We Demand New Leadership’.

The protesters voiced dissatisfaction with the current leadership, calling for a shake-up in the state party structure ahead of upcoming political activities.

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A heavy presence of police personnel was observed at the Assembly to ensure the protest remained peaceful and to prevent any escalation into violence or disruption of public order.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the leadership of the state Assembly nor the APC state executive had officially responded to the protest.

At least six students of the Nigerian Law School were abducted weekend by suspected gunmen while travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.

It was gathered that the incident occurred late Saturday night as the students were on their way to resume academic activities at the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School today.

Damilare Adenola, a student of the school who confirmed the incident yesterday, said:
“Six students of the Nigerian Law School have been reportedly kidnapped by suspected bandits while travelling to resume school after their court externship break.

“Some missing students have been identified as Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David.”

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According to him, reports suggest that the abduction took place on the route between Wukari in Taraba State and a part of Benue State.

According to Vanguard, the area is notorious for insecurity and frequent attacks on travellers by gunmen.

A student leader at the Yola campus, who disclosed that the matter had already been reported to the police, said:
“We are in Yola. We have contacted the Adamawa Police Command. We are just waiting for more updates from them. We haven’t got any concrete information yet.”

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Spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command, Yahaya Suleiman, who also confirmed the incident, said the command was aware of the abduction but clarified that it did not occur within Adamawa’s jurisdiction.

“The abduction did not occur inside Adamawa State. I would encourage you to contact the Benue State Police Command for more details,” Suleiman said.

He assured that both commands were working closely to ensure the safe return of the students.

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“We cooperate not only with the police in other states but also with other sister agencies to ensure that those coming into Adamawa are safe, without harassment or intimidation.

The command is collaborating with officers and men of the Benue State Police Command to ensure these students are rescued,” he stated.

However, efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Anene Catherine, at press time were unsuccessful.
(VANGUARD)