By Black Star News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed 35 people that were taken from Banga Village, in northern Zamfara state–despite the ransoms being paid.
Over the last few years, kidnapping by gangs have increased as a way for them to extort money.
In this recent incident, in Banga Village, 56 people were kidnapped. Nigerian media reports that the abductors demanded $655 dollars for each captive.
Manniru Haidara Kaura, a local government official, said the majority of those murdered were young people. They were “were slaughtered like rams,” Kaura said.
Kaura also stated that “What happened was that the bandits demanded ransom money, and after some back-and-forth, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and one young boy, on Saturday. Only they [the gunmen] know why they killed them. They are senseless and heartless people. They forget that they are killing their own brothers, and we will all meet before Allah.”
Sixteen abductees, who were released Saturday, are now receiving medical treatment.
The Nigerian government, in an strange effort to address the kidnappings, enacted a 2022 law that makes it a criminal felony to pay a ransom–which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years. No one has yet been arrested for paying a ransom.
The law also carries a capitol offense of death for kidnappers who kill captives.
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