Two children of Sarkin Gabas of Bafarawa in Sokoto State, Alhaji Muhammadu Sarkin Rafi, who were abducted by bandits have regained their freedom after the payment of N2 million ransom.
Our correspondent gathered that the bandits also received three new android phones as part of the negotiation before they released the kids.
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The children were abducted around the Gondumi area while travelling to Sokoto with their father who was going for a medical checkup, but the bandits abducted only the children aged eight and 10 and left their aged father and his driver to go.
It was learnt that the Sarkin Gabas, whose wife was recently killed by bandits, insisted on going with the bandits and the children but was prevailed upon by his driver not to.
Daily Trust further gathered that the chief was later ambushed on his way back to his domain by another gang of bandits who robbed him of his phones and money.
One of Sarkin Gabas’s subjects, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the whole village was surrounded by bandits.
He said, “They have been coming to our village, do whatever they want and leave without harming anybody.
“We are used to them, but our problem is leaving our village to another place because anything can happen.”
When contacted, the spokesman of the police in Sokoto, ASP Sanusi Abubakar, said he was not aware of the issue because he was attending a training outside the state.
