Hundreds of people from Nahuche village of Bungudu local government area of Zamfara State staged a peaceful demonstration as bandits continue to attack the community daily despite paying N200m as ransom.
The protesters, who besieged the Government House Gusau on Sunday lamenting how they paid the ransom money as well as for settling allowances of the vigilante groups in the community, called on both the Federal and Zamfara State governments to come to their aid.
They said people are not safe from the heinous acts of the bandits who attacked the village as well as the surrounding towns.
The protesters also said that bandits have killed a prominent businessman in the community even after they received N35m ransom.
Addressing newsmen after the demonstration, a former chairman of Bungudu Local Government, Alhaji Musa Manager Nahuce, disclosed that people in the town no longer sleep with their two eyes, saying, “many people were kidnapped from the village last Saturday and are still in captivity.”
Nahuche revealed that recently a prominent businessman in the village, Alhaji Hadi Babangeme was kidnapped and eventually killed even after collecting the sum of N35m ransom.
“We were shocked and traumatised when we heard that a businessman, Alhaji Babangeme Nahuce died in the hand of his kidnappers after they received N35million ransom from his family.
“We are no longer safe and many have fled the town. We paid no fewer than N200 million ransom to armed bandits but yet we are no longer safe, they keep on attacking and abducting our people.”
Also, he said, “recently the bandits abducted nine people and ransom was paid, but they refused to release them until we supplied them with motorcycles again before they released them.”
He, therefore, appealed to state and federal governments and security agencies to come to their aid and protect them from incessant attacks.
He also requested the deployment of more security personnel, the establishment of a mobile police base in the area.
