A family displaced by bandit attacks in Kakau, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has sold everything it owned, including rice and ginger harvested from its farm, to raise N8.5 million ransom for the release of six members abducted while harvesting their crops.
One of the survivors, Bitrus Dako, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Suleja community in Kakau, told LEADERSHIP that he and five members of his family were kidnapped by bandits on September 25, 2026, when they returned to their community from Mararaban Rido to harvest their farm produce. Dako said the family had fled their community following repeated bandit attacks and settled in Mararaban Rido.
However, the difficulty of providing food for the family and paying their children’s school expenses forced them to return to farming during the rainy season. He said the bandits took them to a camp in the bush, where they spent one month in captivity.
“The kidnappers contacted my family a few days after the abduction and demanded ransom for our release. My relatives and friends had to sell everything they had, including their farm produce, to raise the money,” Dako told LEADERSHIP.
He explained that the family had cultivated rice, ginger and other crops, but their ginger was not yet mature for harvesting when the abduction occurred. The family, however, later harvested and sold the ginger to raise part of the ransom demanded by the abductors.
Dako disclosed that his younger brother, Habila Dako, was also kidnapped while taking the initial ransom payment to the bandits. He said the family had expected Habila to return with the money and secure their release, but the abductors held him captive as well. The kidnappers subsequently demanded additional money, forcing the family to seek assistance from another contact to raise the required amount.
According to Dako, Habila was released on October 8, 2026, while he remained in captivity until October 15, 2026, when the remaining ransom was paid. He said the family eventually paid N8.5 million to secure their release, leaving them with debts they are still struggling to repay.
Beyond the financial losses, Dako said the family was now facing difficulties providing food and meeting basic needs, while their children had been withdrawn from school because they could no longer afford the expenses.
The survivor appealed to individuals and organisations to assist the family with food and financial support to enable them to repay their debts and provide for their children’s welfare and education.
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A family displaced by bandit attacks in Kakau, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, sold everything it had, including farm produce, to raise N8.5 million ransom for the release of its members abducted while harvesting rice.
Bitrus Dako, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from Suleja community in Kakau, told LEADERSHIP that he and five members of his family were kidnapped by bandits on September 25, 2026, when they returned to their community from Mararaban Rido to harvest their farm produce.
Dako said the family had earlier fled their community following bandit attacks and settled in Mararaban Rido, adding that the difficulty of providing food for the family and paying their children’s school expenses forced them to return to farming during the rainy season.
He said the bandits took them to a camp in the bush, where they spent one month in captivity.
“The kidnappers contacted my family a few days after the abduction and demanded ransom for our release. My relatives and friends had to sell everything they had, including their farm produce, to raise the money,” Dako told LEADERSHIP.
He explained that the family had cultivated rice, ginger and other crops, but the ginger was not yet mature for harvesting when the abduction occurred, saying that it was harvested and sold to raise money for the ransom.
He said his younger brother, Habila Dako, was also kidnapped while taking the initial ransom payment to the abductors.
Dako said the family had expected Habila to return with the money and secure their release, but the kidnappers held him as well.
He said the abductors subsequently demanded additional money, which the family had to raise through another contact.
According to him, Habila was released on October 8, 2026, while he remained in captivity until October 15, 2026, when the remaining ransom was paid.
Dako said a total of N8.5 million was paid to secure their release, leaving the family with debts they are still struggling to repay.
The survivor said the family was now struggling to feed, while their children had been withdrawn from school because they could no longer afford the expenses.
He appealed to individuals and organisations to assist the family with food and financial support to enable them to repay their debts and provide for their children.
