Six days after 65 Adara natives were abducted from Libere Gida, Kallah Ward in Kajuru Local Government Area (LGA) in Southern part of Kaduna State, their abductors have made contact with the community, claiming that they have 77 persons in their detention and demanded the sum of N350 million as ransom for their release, the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) disclosed on Saturday.
The disclosure came on Saturday as angry youths from Goni Gora community blocked the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway protesting the abduction of four of its members.
SOKAPU had earlier reported that 10 of the 65 abducted villagers were able to escape a day after they were kidnapped, stressing that going by the latest village headcount, 72 persons were being held by the kidnappers.
They are made up of 16 males and 56 females. It will therefore mean that the kidnappers have captured some other persons to make up for the 77 captives they are claiming.
SOKAPU lamented that “surprisingly, the Kaduna State Government which has made it a habit to churn out daily updates on the security situation in Kaduna State has not made any mention of this mass abduction which occurred in Libere Gida around 11:30pm of the 22nd April, 2021.
“Libere is close to the three major IDP camps in Kajuru LGA. They are in Kallah town, Geffe and Rimau where no fewer than 5,000 have been staying under subhuman conditions since they were chased out from their various villages in May 2020 by armed men.
“Kaduna State Government has never visited or mentioned their existence, not to talk of assisting them with any relief material.”
SOKAPU in its position made known by its spokesman, Mr Luka Binniyat, further averred that “after unceasing siege on farming communities in Kajuru LGA, more communities have fallen under the control of these armed men, which we now suspect to be a coalition of armed herdsmen and Boko Haram.
“In the past one week, communities of Libere village in Kallah ward, Kujeni and part of Kutura in Tantatu ward, including Kurmin Wali in Afogo ward, have fled. This is in addition to the 26 other Adara communities of Kajuru that have fallen to the armed invaders, some of them dating back to 2019.
“The communities include Kallah, Kihoro-Libere, Bakin Kogi, Umiko, Magunguna, Idazo, Ungwan, Galadima, Ungwan Guza, Etiss, Ungwan Ma’aji, Ungwan Dantata, Ungwan Araha 1 & 2, Ungwan Goshi, Ungwan Shaban, Ungwan Jibo, Ungwan Maijama’a, Ungwan Sako, Ungwan Maidoki and Ungwan Masaba
“Others include Tantatu Ward, Ungwan Makware, Idon WardE, Edanu Ungwan Mudi, Ungwan Rana, Ifele and Ungwan Gora. The total number of communities captured by the armed invaders in Kajuru LGA is now 31.
“Not less than 100 communities of Southern Kaduna are already in the hands of the invaders. Some of the communities in Chikun LGA are contigual to Shiroro LGA of Niger State, where Boko Haram hoisted its flag last week.”
