Relatives of the victims, who were abducted by terrorists in Kwara State about six months ago, claim that there is little hope for negotiations to secure their release after the abductors allegedly rejected more than N155 million gathered by the communities.
The relatives said they are worried for the lives of the 176 kidnappers after receiving new threats purportedly from the gunmen. They criticized the government of failing to put an end to the protracted imprisonment.
Community leaders made an emotional plea in a video that was seen on Thursday. They said that locals had sold valuables, emptied their accounts, and organized large donations to satisfy the kidnappers’ demands, but the endeavor failed when the funds were purportedly turned down.
They cautioned that hundreds of families were left in a precarious situation as a result of the development, with many not knowing if their loved ones would ever return home.
Abdul Ibrahim, speaking on behalf of the impacted villages, claimed that after the abductors allegedly threatened to kill some of the captives while retaining others as brides, the situation had gotten worse.
He claimed that all of the communities’ options, including direct discussions and public demonstrations, had been investigated without leading to the release of a single victim.
Because we thought it would bring our people home, we contributed more than N155 million. Rather, the money was turned down, and the pain has persisted,” Ibrahim stated.
We are now appealing to the security services, the Kwara State Government, and the Federal Government. These folks can only be saved by a strong government intervention at this time.
He claimed that the kidnappers had sent out a warning that some of the female prisoners would be forced into marriage, which had caused families to become even more terrified.
The recent rescue of kidnappers in neighboring Oyo State, according to Dan Sardaukin Kaiama’s Suleiman Bukata, has reinforced the idea that a similar operation may free those still imprisoned in terrorist camps in Kaiama.
Bukata claimed that the victims had been held captive for too long and called on security services to begin a vigorous operation in the impacted communities.
“No Nigerian community should be allowed to deal with such a tragedy on its own. Our people shouldn’t be forgotten if they could be saved somewhere else,” he declared.
Remember that on February 3, armed attackers launched what many witnesses refer to as a “massacre” on Woro and other Nuku settlements in Kaiama Local Government Area, killing numerous inhabitants. The victims were taken away.
