…Demand cash, food as ransom
A fresh wave of kidnappings and killings has engulfed Nigeria’s North-Central region, with armed gangs terrorising communities across Kwara, Kogi, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In Kwara State, residents in at least nine local government areas – including Edu, Patigi, Kaiama, and Ifelodun – say bandits have taken control of forest settlements, abducting villagers and demanding not just cash but also food and drinks as ransom. “They now ask for money, food, and even alcohol,” lamented former NLC chairman, Emmanuel Ayeoribe.
In Abuja, kidnappers murdered a veterinary doctor, Dr. Ifeanyi Ogbu, and abducted his three children during a late-night raid along the Kubwa-Kaduna expressway. His body was found hours later; his children remain in captivity.
In Kogi State, gunmen attacked Isanlu in Yagba-East LGA, abducting a woman and her two children and demanding ₦100 million for their release. The children’s father, Tokpe Gody, survived with gunshot wounds.
Security experts warn the coordinated attacks signal a dangerous shift of organised banditry from the North-West into the North-Central. With entire villages displaced and families selling property to pay ransoms, the region’s residents say they are trapped between fear and frustration – waiting for government rescue that never comes.
