Bandits in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State are now demanding cooked food as a ransom for kidnapped victims.
The bandits were said to have retrieved from attacking communities since the state Government banned weekly markets as part of measures to tackle insecurity in the state.
A youth leader in one of the villages of Birnin Gwari, Babangida Yaro, told newsmen that since the ban, bandits operating along with Damari, Kutemashi, and Kuyello villages only asked for cooked food each time they abduct people.
According to him, the ban on the sale of fuel in filling stations located in rural communities had also helped to restrict their movement.
“There is relative peace around Damari, kuyello, Kutemashi because the bandits have stopped attacking our communities. They usually stay in the forest and seize food items mostly cooked ones from vendors,” he said.
He added that when they abducted two or three persons on farms, one is allowed to go and get them food from their relatives as ransom since there is no communication network to make contact.
The youth leader added that the Dogon Dawa area is still not completely safe because villagers are still scared of accessing their farmlands.
Babangida also lamented that the ban on the use of private Motorcycles in the villages had increased hardship on the bandits as well as residents.
