The ransom

Six men sat huddled around the weak light of a torch behind the homestead of the village head, speaking in hushed tones, The Imam of the village had offered prayers. It was short and pointed. The huddle was a meeting of the village leadership to prepare for the expected visit of the armed men with […]

Six men sat huddled around the weak light of a torch behind the homestead of the village head, speaking in hushed tones, The Imam of the village had offered prayers. It was short and pointed. The huddle was a meeting of the village leadership to prepare for the expected visit of the armed men with hooded faces who had visited for the two previous nights. This night, the bandits will hear how the village responds to their demands. During their first two visits, they took away the youngest wife of the village head, a week-old bride and two men, one of whom had just been ransomed a week earlier. Two members of the village vigilante were killed during the resistance they put up, which also took the life of one of the bandits. Last night, they made their demand: the village community must provide ten million Naira, or another five villagers will be taken away, and the two women in their custody will be killed.

There had been much panic in the village, or what was left of it. Nearly half the population of about 1,200 had fled in the last two days. There was no doubt that the bandits will return that night, as they promised and did on the two previous occasions. When they visited on the second night, the bandits had recounted to a terrified and bewildered assemblage of influential villagers full details of what transpired when the community sent a team to the District Head and the district police post about twenty-five kilometers away  to report the attack and kidnap the previous night. The villagers heard from the bandits that its delegation could not meet the District Head, and his representative had promised to inform him of their situation, but had also advised that they pay all or a large part of the demanded ransom. The police had promised to send a team to the village to investigate, while suggesting that phone numbers of the kidnappers should be carefully written down. On their way out of the police premises, a policeman in plain cloth had advised that the village tried to meet the demands of the bandits.

The morning after the first attack, the village buried its dead along with the dead bandit who was abandoned by his gang. Families with kidnapped members started to meet and consult on responses to the demand for N10m ransom. All four families had to work together since they had to respond to a joint ransom. By the evening of the first day, self-pity had been replaced by some firm thinking: the bandits will return that night and they would want to know if the ransom was ready. All four families had livestock and grain stores, but there was no time to dispose of them. Nor will their entire possession amount to the ransom being demanded.

When they returned as planned on the second night, the bandits met no resistance, only a thoroughly subdued village leadership on its knees begging for mercy and a major reduction of the ransom demand. The leader of the bandits gave a long, angry speech on how they were worse victims than the villagers, reminding the village leaders that a few years ago they were peaceful pastoralists, while today they are in the serious business of kidnapping because they have been pauperized by rustlers, hounded by farmers and vilified by the authorities. He then reeled out names of well-off persons living in large towns and cities who are relations of families that have kidnapped members, advising the community that these persons should raise whatever the community lacks in two days. Assuring the villagers that he had very good information on most families in the village and his gang is working with the police and the military, he warned of dire consequences if the full ransom is not paid in full in the next day. He said no phones will be used in communicating with the villagers. He will come to the village in person or send emissaries.

The huddle reviewed the progress made in raising the ransom. The four families had raised N700,000 from sale of livestock and sell of two used motorcycles. Relations from towns and cities had sent another N450,000 and had pledged another N500,000 to be sent next week. Since the bandits were expected in a few hours, it was necessary to agree on negotiation strategies. On the basis of common knowledge that bandits generally accepted lower ransoms than initially demanded, the questions were how much the village can offer, and when it would be paid. They agreed with the suggestion that they haggle down the ransom to N3m, and then pay in two instalments. The bandits would be begged to accept the amount in hand and release two captives. The balance would be paid within the next three days, after which the other two captives will be released.

A disagreement arose when the village head suggested that the two females, one of them being his pregnant third wife, and the new bride should be released first, subject to the bandits’ agreement with the terms. In impolite terms, two members of the huddle reminded him that it was not his place to recommend release of his wife first, particularly since no one in the village knew that she was pregnant. One person advised that the bandits are more likely to agree to release the men first, since female captives tend to generate faster and more substantive responses from relations of kidnap victims. The argument was settled when the Imam supported another suggestion: allow the bandits to choose which two to release first. There was not much that could be done about the threat of more abductions and killings, and the huddle agreed that although the village was depleting rapidly, families with members in captivity must stay put, and no more attempts should be made to bring in the police or other authorities.

All that was left was for a prayer before the huddle dispersed to wait for the bandits. As they stood up, helping the Imam to place the sack containing the ransom on his shoulders, shots rang out from all around them. As they heard screams of the four lookouts who must have been targets of the bullets, the huddle resumed in various postures, arms around heads. A circle of powerful lights approached. A voice commanded them to sit up and pay attention. Ordering a member of the gang to pick up the sack containing the ransom, he told the village leaders that he is the supreme kidnapper in the entire area, and the gang they had been dealing with were his boys who had thought he had died in an encounter with the military. Those boys are now all dead, and he is now directly in charge of the business regarding the village. The amount in the sack will be treated as part payment. His gang will now take with them five of the village leadership in the huddle. He will leave the Village Head behind to lead the search for a new ransom of N20m to be paid within a week.

Jamila Abubakar wrote this piece from Abuja