Bandits in Katsina State have published a frightening video of wedding guests who were kidnapped last Thursday during an ambush on a truck in Damari, Sabuwa Local Government Area.
The abductors, who, according to their commander, number roughly 63 and are dressed in police uniforms, are demanding a N100 million ransom for the captives’ release.
In the film, the robbers show off their prisoners, including ladies dressed in military uniforms with AK-47 guns draped around their necks.
The leader teased the authorities by threatening to marry the already-married bride unless the ransom was paid. The robbers also threaten to auction off the hostages if their demands are not satisfied.
The victims, who included 55 wedding guests and four vigilante group members, were attacked while traveling in an open van in Sabuwa. The assailants killed the vigilantes and kidnapped the wedding attendees, including children.
Family relatives of the abducted individuals acknowledged the ransom demand and expressed their inability to pay such a large sum.
Haruna Abdullahi, an uncle of the bride, told the Daily Trust: “They are asking for N100 million as ransom. None of us has ever seen that amount of money, so I told them directly that we don’t have such funds.”
Among those taken were eight sisters and nine daughters from one family, as well as numerous other relatives.
The bandits claim they recorded the film as a challenge to Governor Dikko Umar Radda, who had allegedly promised to rescue the victims.
