How four of my relatives were abducted by bandits – Kaduna man

Youth leader of the Buda community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Yusuf Muazu, speaks to VICTORIA EDEME on the kidnap of his siblings by bandits who attacked the community

What led to the kidnap of your siblings?

My name is Yusuf Muazu. I’m from Buda village in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. I was born in Buda and lived there all my life. I’m the youth leader of Buda village. I am married to three wives and I have six children. During the attack that happened on Monday, March 11, 2024, the bandits kidnapped my elder brother, my two younger sisters, and my cousin’s wife. The attack happened around 11pm. We were in our house when the bandits came to attack our village. The bandits surrounded the village and started kidnapping people. If not for the intervention of security personnel, the bandits would have kidnapped more people.

Do you know the number of people kidnapped during the attack?

Not less than 62 persons were kidnapped during the attack. The victims include males, females, and children.

How did you know that 62 people were abducted?

We moved from house to house to find out how many people were kidnapped in each house. When we find out those who have been kidnapped, we write down their names. After we did all of that, we knew that 62 people had been kidnapped. Out of the 62 persons was a woman who welcomed her baby four days before the attack. The bandits kidnapped the mother and left the baby. Another woman in the village had to start taking care of the baby.

Can you give more information about your kidnapped elder brother?

My elder brother, Sulaiman Muazu, is a farmer; we’re all farmers in the village. We plant maize, rice, pepper, and other foodstuffs that we eat and sell to eke out a living. He has two wives and has over 10 children. Even before he was kidnapped, there were no foodstuffs in his house. He is just struggling to get what his family eats daily. After he was kidnapped, I gave his family some quantity of maize so that they could manage.

How about your sisters who were also kidnapped?

Their names are Rukayat Abdulahmeen and Lateefat Ibrahim. They are both married and stay close to our house. Rukayat’s husband has four wives. The kidnappers entered their home and abducted three of the wives, including Rukayat, and five children. Rukayat has four children and two were among those abducted. Since the kidnapping, Rukayat and Lateefat’s husbands have been uncomfortable. They are worried about the situation. As for me, I have not been able to eat since due to too much thinking. Zainab, the wife of my cousin, Ibrahim Yakubu, was also kidnapped. My father and Ibrahim’s father are siblings. His father died when he was young and he stays with me and works under me. When the kidnappers attacked, they tried to open Ibrahim’s door, but he escaped by scaling the fence and when the bandits broke in, they took his wife. Zainab and Ibrahim have a two-year-old son. Ibrahim has been taking care of their son since his wife’s abduction.

Have the kidnappers initiated contact with people in the community?

The village head and I have been communicating with the bandits. We believe that our kinsmen in captivity gave them our numbers to call. The first time the bandits called, they said we should provide N100m for the release of the victims. They later reduced it to N40m on Saturday, March 16, and said they won’t reduce it further. They allowed us to talk to the victims, who told us about the suffering they were facing and how some were killed. Of the 62 persons who were kidnapped, only 45 are still alive as of Monday, March 18. About six of them were shot in the leg. We’re afraid that some may still die because of the hunger and suffering they are facing.

Do you know the victims who died?

The victim I talked to wanted to mention the names to me, but the bandits shut him up. I even doubt if my older brother is still alive. I was the one they called and I asked them to give him the phone the first day they gave him. He explained the suffering they were going through.

How are the villagers planning to raise the N40m?

That’s what we’re still thinking about because we don’t have any means to raise the money.

Did the kidnappers make any other demands aside from the ransom?

The kidnappers told me that the victims were hungry and we should find food for them. They said when the food was ready, they would tell us where we’d meet them so that they could collect it. On Friday, March 15, 2024, the bandits said they would come and collect the food. We were in the process of looking for the food requested by the bandits when soldiers accosted and killed those whom the bandits sent to collect the food. The bandits didn’t tell us where we were going to meet, and we didn’t know when the security men entered the bush and killed two of them. The bandits thought we were the ones who set them up to fall into the hands of the soldiers. As a result, the bandits said they won’t give the victims food. They said they must avenge the death of their men. That’s why they are beating, shooting, starving, and killing our people. When the victims spoke to me, they told me that they were only given water twice a day.

Did the villagers inform the soldiers of the payment as claimed by the bandits?

We heard about the attack as we were waiting to receive the location where we would give the foodstuffs to the bandits. We planned to send ground maize to them.

Is the government aware of the situation?

The government is aware of the incident. The member representing the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, Ekene Adams, visited the village a day after the incident. He gave the community N50,000. Also, the Kaduna State House of Assembly member for Kajuru, Danlami Usman Stingo, and Chairman of the Kajuru Local Government Area, Ibrahim Gajere, visited two days later. When they visited, they told us that they would try their best to see that our people were freed from the kidnappers’ den. The Emir of Kajuru also visited us. He sympathised with us and said we should continue with our prayers. The Emir also said that he would inform the government to ensure that the victims are rescued.

Have the police been informed about the incident?

Yes, the police have been informed. Even the Divisional Police Officer of our area came to the village. He said they would try their best. He made the statement when the incident happened. The police also asked us to send them the number that the kidnappers used to communicate with us. We sent the number to the police. The police tracked the number and told us that the kidnappers were in Gwagwalada, Abuja. That was the last we heard from the police.

How often do such attacks happen in Budda village?

This is not the first time that we were attacked by the bandits. It is not even possible to go to the farm. People were looking for what they would eat when this incident happened. Even on Sunday, March 17, the bandits attacked the neighbouring village at Kajuru Station community, Ward 22, and kidnapped 87 persons. That’s the village my mother came from and some of my uncles were also kidnapped. Our village shares a border with a bush, which is also a hideout for the bandits. So these bandits also disturb us in our farms. I was the first person to be kidnapped in the village.

When were you kidnapped and can you share your experience in the abductors’ den?

I was kidnapped about two years ago and spent five days with the kidnappers. The bandits beat me and said I should tell them the assets that my family has. They asked me to tell them the amount of money they could get from us. I told them that we were poor farmers and did not have money. They thought I didn’t want to tell them the truth, and they started beating me again. When they kidnapped me, I was with my phone. So they used my phone to communicate with my father. The kidnappers initially demanded N3m for my release, but in the end, my family gave them over N500,000 and I was released. Later on, the kidnappers returned and abducted my mother, my wife, and other people too. We paid over N2m before they were released.

With these occurrences in your family, do you have plans to leave the village?

We don’t know anywhere except this place. We’re not doing anything but farming. If we decide to relocate, where are we going to get land to farm on? That’s the problem. These bandits are also deceiving us. When they kidnapped our people, they told us that it was the last time. After some time, they still came back to take the villagers away. Last year, we stayed for about eight months without facing any issues in this area. We thought that it was all over but they started coming again. Based on what we have heard, the bandits come from Zamfara State. There is a bush that links our village to Birnin Gwari, which leads to Zamfara.

How do security agencies react to the incessant attacks on the village?

The security personnel told us to always inform them in time whenever attacks are taking place. We do inform them and they show up. Sometimes, the security personnel do meet and clash with the bandits. Other times, the bandits would have left before the arrival of the security personnel. There was a time when security personnel killed some bandits in our village. If not for the prompt intervention of the military in the March 11 attack, over 100 people would have been kidnapped. When the bandits were gathering another set of people to take away, the security personnel arrived. On seeing them, the bandits fled. Right now, people are packing their property and leaving Buda village. I’m hoping that if my brother returns, I’ll also leave the village. I have decided to leave the village.

When do you plan on leaving the village?

We are still begging the bandits. If we are lucky, they will tell us the amount we can provide. Once my brothers and sisters come back, we will leave the village. There is no reason why we should continue living in the village. We don’t have security personnel staying with us, and we don’t have weapons to fight with the bandits. Once I leave the village, I am planning to go into the town. I can find a job when I get to the town, as I can’t get farmland there. If I get money, I will do business.

As a Muslim, how have these attacks affected your fasting in this Ramadan period?

The attacks are affecting our Ramadan because we are not comfortable. Even when we have food to eat after breaking the fast, eating has become a very difficult thing to do because we are thinking and worried. But we’re still going on with our fasting.

What support has your family or other villagers received since the incident?

Till now, it is only God that is supporting us. People have only been supporting us with prayers.

What would you want the government to do concerning the incessant attacks on your community?

We are just praying for the government to work hard to fight the insecurity issues we are facing. Buda village is not the only community facing the challenge of insecurity and kidnapping. If possible, the government should try its best to ensure that these issues are cleared. We also need security personnel to be stationed in our village. The soldiers we have are stationed in Kajuru town and not in the villages. They only come when we inform them of attacks.

Will you still want to leave the village if security personnel move to your village?

If the government provides security in the village, even people who have left the village will come back.

What support do you need for your family?

If possible, the government should try its best to see that our people return to the village. The government can order security personnel to enter the bush and bring our people back home.