Five relatives of those kidnapped by gunmen last week in northwest Nigeria stated on Monday that the men in armed clothing are not seeking ransom payments but rather talks with the Zamfara state government.
Northern Nigeria is still plagued by armed gangs that kidnap drivers, students, and locals and demand ransom.
Numerous villagers in Zamfara’s Birnin-Magaji local government area were taken hostage by the gunmen on Friday night after they stormed the villages of Gora, Madomawa, and Jambuzu.
“They don’t need any ransom from us, but said if we need our loved ones back, they asked me and other people to deliver (a) message to the state’s governor. The government should reach out to them for negotiations,” he told Reuters by phone.
The abductors did not state the nature of the negotiations they want but several families told Reuters they had received calls.
Wadatau Adamu’s four daughters were abducted, he said, adding that attacks by gunmen happened frequently in rural and remote villages like Gora, with little or no security forces present.
“We have passed their message to our leaders. We are looking forward to any decision that will be taken,” he said.
Three other residents said they also received such calls.
“I’m nothing on earth without my family,” said a sobbing Sanusi Musa, whose wife and two children were missing.
Zamfara’s information commissioner Mannir Kaura could not be reached for comment.
But in a statement dated May 11, Kaura criticised unnamed individuals that he said were pushing for negotiations with the kidnapping gangs.
He said Zamfara state government “has rejected the so-called peace accord initiative with bandits by these groups of individuals.”
