Community leader cries out: Terrorists holding 13 Kaduna abductees despite N40m payment

Kaduna map

Residents of Gidan Waya community in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State have accused bandits of refusing to release 13 abducted villagers despite the payment of a N40m ransom, forcing the community into hunger and despair.

The Chairman of the Gidan Waya Elders Forum, Mallam Rabo Sambo, disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists at a press conference in Kaduna.

Sambo said the villagers were abducted during a deadly night raid on November 11, 2025, when armed men stormed the community between 11 p.m. and midnight, firing gunshots and throwing residents into panic.

“We heard gunshots, and before we knew what was happening, the bandits had surrounded the settlement,” Sambo said. “Our community is a closed settlement, so they easily ambushed us.”

He said four residents were killed during the attack, while five others sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to medical facilities for treatment.

According to him, 13 villagers—five men and eight women—were taken away by the assailants to an unknown location.

“This is the first time we are experiencing such an attack. We have always lived in peace here.

There has never been any crisis among us,” he said.

Sambo noted that the attackers wore masks throughout the operation, making it impossible to identify them.

He disclosed that the kidnappers later contacted the community in January 2026, demanding a ransom of ₦40m for the release of the abducted villagers.

“To raise the ransom, we sold over 3,000 bags of maize. When the trailers came to load the maize, everyone in the community was crying,” Sambo said.

He explained that the maize sold constituted the community’s main food reserve, meant to sustain families for several months.