Armed gangs in northern Nigeria have killed 38 villagers they abducted in Zamfara state despite ransom payments made for their release, local officials said.
The victims were among 56 people kidnapped in March from Banga village in Kauran Namoda district. The gunmen – known locally as “bandits” – demanded one million naira ($655) for each captive. After negotiations, families paid the amount, leading to the release of 18 hostages on Saturday, including 17 women and a boy.
Manniru Haidara Kaura, chairman of the local government, said the remaining hostages were executed. “Most of those killed were young people who were slaughtered like rams,” he told the BBC. “These bandits are senseless and heartless. They forget they are killing their own brothers.”
Sixteen of those freed are being treated in hospital, while the bodies of the 38 victims are unlikely to be recovered, as abductors rarely return corpses.
Kidnapping for ransom has become a major criminal industry in northern Nigeria. Although a 2022 law makes paying ransom a crime punishable by 15 years in prison – and prescribes the death penalty for abductors when hostages are killed – families often pay, citing the government’s failure to provide security.