Relatives Pay N10m Ransom To Free Abducted Sokoto ‘Bride, Bridesmaids’

After spending about 47 days in captivity, the Chacho village’s abducted bride-to-be and her friends have finally regained their freedom, local sources confirmed.

The freedom, however, did not just come without a cost as relatives of those victims had to pay a N10 million ransom, in addition to three brand new motorcycles.

Prior to the abduction, Chacho village in Wurno local government was in high spirits as preparations for the wedding had almost reached a crescendo before tragedy struck on the eve of the wedding.

24 hours before the scheduled wedding, bandits invaded the village, went straight to the bride’s house,  and whisked her and her friends away.

A heartbroken member of the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they had intel that their abducted relatives and lots more were held captive at one of the bandits’ enclaves in the Sububu forest of Isa/Sabon Birni local government areas, Sokoto State, but could not do anything because they are not armed.

The forest, which stretches to the Niger Republic and Zamfara State in Nigeria, is considered a safe haven for criminal elements, especially those terrorising Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States.

Speaking after the release, one of the victim’s relatives said they are currently receiving medical attention in a hospital, which he refused to disclose for the security of their lives.

Continuing, the relative said, those abducted were held for a long time because of the delay in meeting the ransom requirement.

“You know, as villagers, we do not have such money either at home or in the bank.

We have to sell our belongings and other valuables, and solicit support from concerned citizens, to meet the ever-changing demands of the bandits.

“It took us 7 weeks to negotiate and also meet up with the ransom requirement, which is 10 million naira cash, 3 motorcycles, each costing around one million eight hundred thousand naira and other food items.

Another resident who spoke on the development but pleaded not to be mentioned, appealed to the Federal Government to equip security agencies with modern technology to locate these bandits wherever they are in the forest.

He also insisted on the application of a severe kinetic approach as a possible deterrent to those perpetrating such dastardly acts against fellow human beings, adding that negotiation with criminals such as bandits and terrorists will never yield any desired positive result.

Efforts to speak to the Wurno Local Government Council chairman, Hon. Aba Sadiq Isa Achida, on the development proved abortive, as he neither picked up his calls nor responded to text messages sent to his mobile line before filing this report.

On his part, the Public Relations Officer of Sokoto Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, said they are yet to receive details of the development, promising, however, to reach out to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area before reverting.

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