Bandits have reportedly refused to release 13 residents of Gidan Waya community in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State despite the payment of a N40 million ransom, plunging the agrarian settlement into deepening hunger, fear and despair.
The Chairman of the Gidan Waya Elders Forum, Mallam Rabo Sambo, disclosed this on Monday, January 26, 2026, while addressing journalists at a press conference in Kaduna. He said the failure of the kidnappers to free the abducted villagers weeks after collecting the ransom has left the community traumatised and uncertain about the fate of their loved ones.
According to Sambo, the villagers were abducted during a deadly night attack on November 11, 2025, when heavily armed men stormed Gidan Waya between 11 p.m. and midnight. He said the assailants fired sporadic gunshots, throwing residents into panic and forcing many to flee for safety.
“We heard gunshots, and before we knew what was happening, the bandits had surrounded the settlement,” Sambo recounted. “Our community is a closed settlement, so they easily ambushed us.”
He explained that the attackers operated with precision and speed, making it difficult for residents to mount any form of resistance or escape. During the raid, four people were killed, while five others sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
In the chaos that followed, 13 villagers—comprising five men and eight women—were forcefully taken away by the gunmen to an unknown destination. Sambo described the incident as unprecedented in the history of the community.
“This is the first time we are experiencing such an attack. We have always lived in peace here,” he said, adding that the sudden violence shattered the long-standing sense of security enjoyed by the residents.
Sambo noted that the attackers wore masks throughout the operation, making it impossible for anyone in the community to identify them or provide useful descriptions to security agencies.
He further disclosed that the kidnappers made contact with the community in January 2026, demanding a ransom of N40 million for the release of the abducted villagers. Faced with the desperation of rescuing their people, the community mobilised resources to meet the demand.
“To raise the ransom, we sold over 3,000 bags of maize,” Sambo said. “When the trailers came to load the maize, everyone in the community was crying.”
He explained that the maize sold represented the community’s primary food reserve, meant to sustain families for several months. The decision to sell it, he said, was made collectively and painfully, driven by the hope that the abducted villagers would be freed.
“After selling our food to pay the ransom, we are now going hungry. We can no longer feed our families,” he lamented.
According to Sambo, the ransom was delivered immediately after it was raised, with assurances from intermediaries that the abductees would be released without delay. However, weeks after the payment, none of the victims has been returned.
“As soon as we got the money, it was taken straight to the kidnappers,” he said. “But it has been more than two months since they were taken. Even today, as I speak to you, none of them has returned.”
The prolonged captivity, he added, has heightened anxiety within the community, with families living in constant fear over the safety and wellbeing of their loved ones.
Sambo said the decision to address the press was taken after the elders became uncertain about the level of awareness of the incident by the Kaduna State Government and the Lere Local Government Council.
“We don’t know if His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, is aware of what happened to us. That is why we are appealing through the media,” he said.
While acknowledging the efforts of the Divisional Police Officer in Lere, whom he said had visited the community several times, Sambo stressed that more decisive intervention was urgently needed. He appealed to both the state and federal governments to intensify efforts to secure the release of the abducted villagers and provide immediate relief to the community.
“Our people are still in captivity, and those at home are suffering,” he said. “Everybody shed tears. We are living in fear, hunger and uncertainty.”
The situation in Gidan Waya underscores the growing insecurity in parts of Kaduna State and the devastating impact of banditry on rural communities, where residents are often forced to sacrifice their livelihoods in desperate attempts to secure the freedom of abducted loved ones.
