Kidnappers gift hostages “money for shoes” after collecting ransom
2 min read
A group of kidnappers last week reportedly donated ₦10,000 out of their collected ransom to five hostages before releasing them.
The hostages taken from Avu hamlet of Gupa – Abugi village in Lapai Local Government Area last Thursday were on Sunday handed the donation, from N1.7m paid for their freedom, supposedly to buy “slipper shoes”.
One of the freed hostages told our Correspondent that they were accompanied by the kidnappers to the outskirts of their village after paying the ransoms.
According to the hostage, they were kept in a cave throughout their captivity after walking for hours under tight security, on the night of the abduction.
The hostage who was literally traumatized said could not describe their experiences in the custody of the kidnappers.
They kidnap occured during an early morning raid in Avu hamlet which claimed one person.
Dozens of armed terrorists opened fire at random, targeting women and children as they scampered for safety, it was learnt.
A member of the village, Mr. Idris Musa told our reporter, “the gunmen arrived the village around 1:00am in large numbers and upon seeing them, people were scampering for safety as they were shooting sporadically.”
One person Idris said was killed with six kidnapped, but only five hostages were released on Sunday.
Niger State has recorded series of village raids with dozens killed and many others kidnapped.
The attacks have often been blamed on bandits but no reasonable arrests have been made by law enforcements.
Officials have repeatedly called for the arrest of insecurity in the State, but the situation has only degenerated.
Observers suspect the criminals have strong backing from top politicians, but without evidences to prove.
