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Bandits have demanded ₦94 million as ransom for the release of 47 farmers abducted in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.
The kidnappers reportedly contacted relatives of some of the victims after keeping them in captivity for about a week, demanding ₦2 million for each person.
Chairman of Mariga LGA, Alhaji Aliyu Bagga Muhamadu, disclosed the development, saying most of those abducted were women.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on September 26 while harvesting groundnuts on farms around Tungan Rimi in Ma’undu-Beri Ward.
They had been engaged by a farmer under a “harvest and get your share” arrangement when the bandits struck.
The council chairman also said information reaching the local authority indicated that one of the abducted women had given birth while in captivity.
According to him, security personnel, backed by local vigilantes, have been mobilised to locate and rescue the victims.
However, the Niger State Police Command gave a different preliminary figure, saying 20 people were abducted at Mukura village in Kasuwan-Garba District on September 26.
The command said joint security operations were ongoing to rescue the victims.
Efforts to reach relatives of the abducted farmers for their reaction were unsuccessful at the time of filing the report.
The incident has also attracted no official statement from the Niger State Government, one week after the abduction.
