How bandits killed ransom negotiator in Kaduna after delivering N16m

A tragic incident has reportedly unfolded in Jere town, Kaduna State, where bandits shot and killed a 27-year-old man named Abba after he delivered a ransom of N16 million and three motorcycles for the release of nine kidnapped victims.

According to a post by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, via X on Thursday, the abduction took place on April 16, 2024, when bandits attacked homes in Unguwar Iya, Jere, kidnapping nine residents and initially demanded a N30 million ransom.

However, a local resident, Shuaibu Hussaini, confirmed the killing in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

According to Hussaini, the incident occurred last Saturday when Abba, who had been negotiating with the bandits, went to deliver the agreed-upon ransom to the group’s leader at a designated location in the area. “The bandits’ leader, after collecting the ransom and the bikes, tied the deceased with a rope and opened fire on him,” Hussaini reported.

The motive behind the killing was revealed by one of the released victims. Hussaini explained, “It was one of the victims who was among those released who said the bandits’ leader claimed that they decided to kill Abba for being rude to him during negotiation of the ransom.”

The brutality of the act was further emphasised when the bandits callously informed the victim’s family about his fate.

“It was when one of the family members of the victims tried to find out the whereabouts of Abba after delivering the ransom that the bandits’ leader asked the family to go to a particular location and pick up his corpse,” Hussaini added.

According to the report, the event has caused grief over the entire community.

“Hussaini said the death of the deceased had thrown not only Abba’s family into mourning, but Jere chiefdom as a whole.

“The Kaduna State Police Command is yet to comment on the incident,” the report noted.