By Milcah Tanimu

Bandits who abducted 16 residents of Gonin Gora, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis, have reportedly demanded a staggering ransom of N40 trillion for their release. The abduction took place on February 28, when bandits attacked the Gonin-Gora community in the Chikun Local Government Area. This ransom demand comes in the wake of another abduction incident in Kuriga, Chikun, where 287 schoolchildren were taken just four days earlier.

John Yusuf, a community leader in Gonin Gora, revealed the ransom information during a telephone interview with The Nation Newspaper on Monday in Kaduna. According to Yusuf, the bandits are also requesting 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles as part of the conditions for releasing the captives.

Expressing the community’s distress over the demand, Yusuf stated, “Where are we going to get this kind of money? Even if we sell the entire community, we cannot raise N40 trillion. Even Nigeria as a country has never made a budget of N40 trillion.”

The bandits reportedly invaded the community twice within a week, with three people abducted in the first attack and an additional 13 in the second, totaling 16 individuals held captive. In response to these incidents, Yusuf called for urgent government intervention, including the establishment of a military base behind the community to counter the activities of the criminals who exploit the extensive bushes in the area for their attacks.