Katsina state born legal practitioners in Kaduna have urged Governor Aminu Bello Masari to secure the release of all kidnapped victims from suspected bandits terrorising the state.
Spokesman of the legal practitioners, Barrister Samaila Abdu, who disclosed this to the media in Kaduna on Wednesday, lauded the release of another batch of 30 victims of kidnapping by suspected bandits on the 14th of September 2019.
Abdu said as indigenes of Katsina state, they are excited with the development in the security sector of the state, noting that there can’t be development amidst rancour and insecurity, so the move by Masari to restore peace and security of lives and property to the state is commended.
The Masari, Kafur local government born legal practitioner, warned politicians to stop politicizing the security challenges in the state, while urging Governor Masari to persuade the kidnappers to release victims they held in captivity to shows that the negotiation is working in the interest of the people.
Addressing the freed victims, Governor Masari assured them that government would continue to persuade the suspected bandits to release more of the kidnapped victims until there was none in their custody.
Masari recently received another batch of 30 kidnapped victims released by suspected bandits. Eight of the victims are from Kankara local government area of the state, while 18 are from Shimfida in Jibiya local government area.
One of the repentant bandits, who brought the victims to Katsina State Government House, explained that the victims were hitherto held at Dansadau forest in Zamfara state.
He said their abductor is from Zurmi in Zamfara state and was picking his victims from Katsina state. Masari directed that the victims be taken to hospitals for medical checkup before they are reunited with their families.
One of the victims, Zinatu Sani, from Kankara told journalists that she was abducted from her matrimonial home with two of her children.
She said that the bandits initially demanded a ransom of N20 million which was later reduced to N6 million, which she said her family couldn’t pay.
She said the suspected bandits used to give them raw rice to cook with only water and salt. Sani said that they slept in an open space for 55 days whether it rained or not, adding that there were still a lot of people in captivity inside the forest.
