Kaduna Community Pays ₦40 Million Ransom, 13 Abductees Still Held by Bandits

A community in Kaduna State is facing despair after paying a ₦40 million ransom to bandits, only for 13 kidnapped residents to remain in captivity months after their abduction.

The victims, from Saminaka in Lere Local Government Area, were seized on November 11, 2025, when armed attackers stormed the community, killing four people and injuring five others. The kidnappers had initially demanded ₦300 million for their release.

Fearing for the lives of their loved ones, community members resorted to selling nearly 3,000 bags of assorted grains and pooling personal resources to raise ₦40 million, which was delivered to the bandits. However, the captors have reportedly reneged on the agreement, refusing to release the abductees even after collecting the payment.

In a desperate appeal, the Chairman of the Mobile Phone Dealers Association in Saminaka, Malam Rabo Sabo Jan-tsauni, called on Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani for urgent intervention. “We sold almost everything we had… Up till today, our people are still in captivity,” he told journalists.

The situation worsened on January 7, 2026, when the same bandits allegedly attacked the area again and kidnapped two Fulani women. The continued captivity despite the ransom payment has heightened trauma and raised concerns over the cycle of ransom payments in conflict-affected regions.

This incident is not isolated. In a separate attack reported earlier this month, a Baptist pastor and his three daughters were abducted from Tudun Bussa village in Chikun Local Government Area. The Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has confirmed this kidnapping.

The unresolved Saminaka case highlights the severe security challenges and the perilous dilemma communities face when forced to negotiate with kidnappers, often without guarantee of their loved ones’ release.