The Ransom Was Paid, but Dozens Died Anyway

Kidnappers killed 38 villagers abducted from northern Nigeria even after receiving ransom payments for their release, according to local officials. The victims were among 56 people taken from Banga village in the Kauran Namoda area of Zamfara state back in March, with abductors demanding roughly $655 per captive. Local government chairman Manniru Haidara Kaura told the BBC that after negotiations, the requested ransom was handed over and 18 hostages—17 women and a young boy—were released over the weekend. Sixteen of those freed are now hospitalized, while the fate of the remaining captives turned grim.

Kaura described the killings as brutal, noting that most victims were young and "slaughtered like rams." Their bodies are unlikely to be returned as kidnappers rarely release them. This incident highlights the growing problem of mass kidnappings by local criminal gangs, often referred to as "bandits," who have turned ransom-seeking into a booming business. In 2022, Nigeria's government enacted a law criminalizing ransom payments—a move meant to deter kidnappings--carrying a minimum 15-year prison sentence. Abductions resulting in death can be punished by execution. Yet no arrests have been made under the law, and families continue to pay ransoms, blaming authorities for failing to keep them safe.