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Kidnappers in Nigeria kill 35 hostages even after ransom was paid

2025-07-28 19:12:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kidnappers in Nigeria kill 35 hostages even after ransom was paid

Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed at least 35 people they kidnapped from a village in the northern state of Zamfara, despite ransoms being paid for their release, a local official has told the BBC.

In recent years, criminal gangs in the region, known locally as bandits, have used kidnapping as a means of raising money.

In this incident, 56 people were abducted from Banga village, Kauran Namoda Local Government Area, in March. Media in Nigeria report that the gunmen demanded a ransom of one million naira ($655; £485) for each captive.

The local government chairman, Manniru Haidara Kaura, said most of those killed were young men who were "slaughtered like sheep".

"What happened was that the bandits asked for ransom money and, after some arguments, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and a small boy, on Saturday. Only they know why they killed them. They are insensitive and heartless people. They forget that they are killing their brothers, and we will all meet before Allah," Haidara said.

Sixteen of those released on Saturday are in hospital receiving treatment, while the bodies of the 38 killed by the bandits are unlikely to be returned as corpses are rarely released in these cases.

In an effort to curb the spiraling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a law was passed in 2022 that made it a crime to make ransom payments. This is punishable by at least 15 years in prison, yet no one has ever been arrested on these charges.

It also made kidnapping punishable by death in cases where the victims die.

But families often feel forced to pay to rescue their loved ones, citing the government's inability to ensure their safety.





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