By Desire Emmanuel
Bandits who abducted an old man and three women from a community in Sokoto State have demanded for the sum of N44 million after collecting N6 million as ransom from his family in order to free him.
Though the bandits were said to have released the three women after the payment, they held on to the man who was abducted over seven weeks ago.
It was gathered that the marauders loyal to a notorious bandits leader, Bello Turji, stormed Kaibaba Village in Turba ward, Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and abducted the 68-year-old man, Maigari Mu’azu in February.
A source close to the local government area told Impact Nigeria News Online on Tuesday morning that two weeks ago, his relatives and members of the community raised ₦6 million in an effort to secure his release which they sent to the bandits in the forest.
However, after collecting the money, the bandits freed only the three women, refusing to release Mu’azu. Instead, they demanded an additional N44 million, bringing the total ransom demanded to N50 million.
The source said the representatives of the community are still making frantic efforts to contact the bandits and appeal for the release of the old man.
The Northern part of the country, especially the North-West, has, for some years, been under the grips of bandits and terrorists who unleash mayhem on residents, particularly those living in villages, killing them and abducting others.
In some instances, some communities resort to signing “peace deals” with the bandits in order for them to enjoy relative peace but many of these “peace deals” are always violated by the bandits a few days after they were signed.
