A disturbing video of the wedding guests kidnapped last Thursday following an ambush on a convoy in Damari, Sabuwa Local Government Area, has been made public by bandits in Katsina State.
Clad in police uniforms, the bandits, numbering over 60 alongside their leader yesterday requested for N100 million in ransom to free the captives.
The assailants could be seen in the video showing off their hostages, some of them, women wearing military uniforms and flaunting AK-47 firearms around their necks.
The leader ridiculed the authorities and threatened to force the already-married bride into marriage if they didn't pay the ransom. In addition, the bandits promised to sell those taken hostage if their demands are not satisfied.
The victims, who included 55 wedding guests and four vigilante group members, were ambushed in an open van in Sabuwa.
The attackers killed the vigilante members and kidnapped the wedding guests, which included children. The victims' relatives confirmed the ransom demand, stating that they are unable to pay such a large sum of money. The bride's uncle, Haruna Abdullahi, told reporters, "They are asking for N100 million as ransom. None of us have ever seen that amount of money, so I told them directly that we don't have such funds." Eight sisters and nine daughters of one family are among those kidnapped, along with several other relatives.
The gunmen claimed that they recorded the video to challenge Governor Dikko Umar Radda, who had allegedly promised to save the victims.
