From John Adams, Minna
With few days to the deadline given by the abductors of 56 people from the Adunu and Kwagana communities in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State for the payment of N100 million ransom, concerned youths from the communities have sent a Save-Our-Soul (SOS) message to the state governor, Alhjai Abubakar Sani Bello, to help secure the release of the victims.
The youths in their message, “Freedom for 56 still under captive by bandits; Save Our Land”, said urgent intervention by the government for the release of the victims had become very necessary as the second deadline set by the bandits for the payment of the ransom expires in a few days time.
It could be recalled that bandits in their numbers stormed Adunu and Kwagana communities on March 14, killed two people and abducted no fewer than 56 people, including women and children in an operation the communities said lasted over five hours.
Two weeks after the abduction, five of the abductees were summarily executed due to the failure of the communities to meet their demand, and threatened to kill the remaining victims if the N100 million ransom is not paid after one week.
The bandits released three women to go and inform the communities of the execution of the five people, while holding their husbands back in captivity. The youths, in their message to the governor and other political leaders from the area, expressed grave concern over the fate of the remaining victims as the bandits may carry out their threat of eliminating them.
The group said it was impossible for the peasant farming communities to raise a whopping N100 million ransom for the release of the victims.
More worrisome, they said, was the grave silence by the governor and other political leaders from the area since the incident occurred on March 14, adding that “there is yet to be an official government’s visit to the Adunu and Kwagana districts.
The only visit was the ballot boxes accompanied by INEC officials to conduct gubernatorial and state assembly elections in Adunu and Kwagana wards, which was sternly but firmly resisted by the members whose loved ones were still in the bush in the hands of the kidnappers.”
They accused the governor and their political leaders of abandoning the people of the communities to their fate, wondering whether Adunu and Kwagana communities are no longer part of the state.
“It is pertinent to note that there is no government school in session at Ishau, Ammale, Adunu and Kwagana since this January 2023 due to the volatility of the security situation in the communities. It’s the worst circumstance to see our children out of school when we can do something about it,” the youths added.
They, therefore, appealed to the government and other well meaning political leaders from the area that “unless something is done fast, the indigenous people of Ishau, Ammale, Adunu, Kwagana, Kaffin Koro, Chimbi and kwakuti will be taken over by the bandits.”
The youths urged the government to wake up to the imminent calamitous sweep of the entire communities, stressing that “there is the need to establish strong police posts in all the aforementioned wards.
“Most importantly, put a permanent joint task force of military and other security agencies within Adunu, to check the excesses of these elements,” they added.