After collecting food items, abductors of vigilante, wife, 12 others demand N14m

The abductors of a vigilante member, his wife, and 12 others in the Janjala community of Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have demanded a ransom of N1 million for each of the 14 victims.  This new demand comes despite the kidnappers already receiving food supplies and N500,000 in cash from the victims’ families. […]

The abductors of a vigilante member, his wife, and 12 others in the Janjala community of Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have demanded a ransom of N1 million for each of the 14 victims. 

This new demand comes despite the kidnappers already receiving food supplies and N500,000 in cash from the victims’ families.

Abuja Metro previously reported that the victims were abducted on Saturday, March 1, 2026, after the bandits invaded Janjala. During the attack, one person sustained a gunshot wound while 14 others, including a local vigilante and his spouse, were whisked away.

On March 2, 2026, the bandits initially demanded food items and N1 million to “feed the victims” before formal ransom negotiations could begin.

A source acting as a mediator between the families and the bandits disclosed the latest development to our reporter via telephone on Thursday morning. 

He explained that after the families struggled to contribute money for the food—which included rice, beans, cartons of Maggi, spaghetti, and other condiments—and N500,000 in cash, the bandits increased their demands. “I took the items to them at their hideout around the Hayin-Dam forest on Tuesday afternoon,” the mediator said. 

“After delivering the food and the N500,000, their leader told me to inform the families that they must now raise N1 million per victim before they are freed.”

The new demand has reportedly thrown the families into a state of confusion and despair, as many had already exhausted their savings to provide the initial items.

A community leader in the area confirmed the development, expressing concern over the situation and urging security operatives to intervene and rescue those in captivity.

A security source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they were not yet aware of the specific ransom demand but maintained that efforts are ongoing to trace the bandits’ hideout and rescue the victims unhurt.

As of the time of filing this report, the spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Hassan Mansur, has yet to react to the development.