Thirty Seven people abducted by bandits in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, northwest Nigeria, have regained their freedom following a locally brokered peace deal.
Okay News reports that the victims were released without the payment of ransom.
The development was confirmed on Friday by Abdulrahman Kandarawa, the lawmaker representing Bakori constituency in the Katsina State House of Assembly. Kandarawa said the freed victims include 17 women, two children, and 18 men, all of whom were abducted in recent attacks across the area.
Speaking to journalists in Katsina, the lawmaker said the community’s engagement with the armed groups yielded results, allowing all abducted residents from the LGA to return home unharmed.
“The victims were released without payment of ransom as part of the agreement reached during the dialogue,” he said.
“I want to assure you that, at the moment, there are no more victims in the forest from this local government area, except if we are not aware of them.”
He appealed to residents to sustain the “relative peace” currently being enjoyed, urging community leaders to continue supporting ongoing conflict-resolution efforts.
Katsina, one of the states at the epicentre of Nigeria’s banditry crisis, has recorded multiple mass abductions in recent years.
