Over 148 farmers from Kuchi, an agrarian community in Niger State’s Munya Local Government Area, remain captives of bandits 53 days after their abduction on May 24, 2024.
The assailants, numbering over 100, seized the victims, including pregnant women and children, and are demanding substantial ransoms for their release.
According to Abdulmalik Iliyasu, a resident, the ordeal has been devastating, with reports of deaths among the captives. Bandits are demanding N2 million and a Honda motorcycle for each hostage, an impossible sum for the impoverished farming community. The situation is exacerbated by informants who reveal wealthy families to the bandits, escalating ransom demands.
The crisis extends beyond Kuchi, with residents of Kapana, Wuloto, and Godan also held captive. Fear grips the region as bandits threaten further attacks and livestock theft. Farmers are unable to cultivate their land, leading to severe economic hardship.
Residents are pleading for government intervention, particularly securing the Dan-Gunu riverbank, a known bandit crossing point. They also seek support to resume farming activities.
The Niger State Police Command, in collaboration with the military and Kaduna State authorities, is working to rescue the hostages.
