Members of Nahuche community in the Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State have lamented the continuous killings and abductions in the community by bandits, calling on the federal and state governments to come to their aid.
The residents, who converged on the Government House, Gusau, on Sunday, said they had spent over N200m on ransom payments as well as settlement of vigilance groups, yet the situation remained the same.
Addressing newsmen after a demonstration, the community, led by a former council chairman, Alhaji Musa Nahuce, said residents could no longer sleep with two eyes closed.
He disclosed that many people were kidnapped from the village last Saturday.
According to him, the bandits recently abducted and killed a prominent businessman in the village, Alhaji Hadi Babangeme, even after collecting N35m as ransom.
He said, “We were shocked and traumatised when we heard that a businessman, Alhaji Hadi Babangeme Nahuce, died in the hand of his kidnappers after they received N35m ransom from his family. We are no longer safe and many have fled the town.
“We paid over N200m ransom to armed bandits, yet we are not safe; they keep on attacking and abducting our people.
‘’Recently, the bandits abducted nine people and ransom was paid, but they refused to release them until we supplied them motorcycles again before they released them.”
The community appealed to the government to come to their aid and protect them from incessant attacks.
They also called for the deployment of more security personnel, establishment of a mobile police base and presence of more military troops in the area.
The state Governor, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, was not at the Government House to receive the protesters.
