John Adams, Minna
Barely two weeks after gunmen kidnapped the wife of the acting chairman of Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, some traders traveling from Pandogari town in the same local government have been kidnapped.
The traders said to be about 16 were traveling to Bassa village for the weekly market in the town.
The traders were said to be traveling in an 18-seater bus when they ran into a blockade by the gunmen who shot sporadically into the air to instill fears into them.
According to a source close to the community, the traders mostly women and a few men, were immediately rounded up and forced into a waiting bus and driven into the bush far away from where the incident occurred.
Our source disclosed that it was not the first time that such an incident would occur in the area, pointing out that “it has now become a regular occurrence that no one is doing anything about. People now move in fear in the community.”
It was further gathered that the gunmen collected all the mobile phones with the traders and established contacts with their families, telling them the ransom to pay to secure their release.
According to the report, the kidnappers demanded for between N200,000 and N500,000 from each of them depending on their appearance.
“They are asking the relations to go and pay the ransom at a location in Funtua town in Katsina State to avoid being traced by the police. Some of the traders are already complying,” the source said.
When contacted, the state police public relations officer, Muhammad Abubakar, confirmed the incident. He said: “We have heard of such incident, as you heard it, but no official report has been made to us.
“We are investigating the matter. We will get back to you when we get official report.”
Meanwhile, family sources have told our correspondent that the kidnappers of Hajia Suiaba Sani Balarabe and another woman believed to be the wife of the manager of a company in Kagara Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State have rejected a N2.5m ransom offered them for the release of the two victims.
The kidnappers, according to the sources, are now demanding N50m as against the N100m they asked for when the victims were abducted more than a week ago.
“They have threatened not to release her unless we give them N50m.