Alhaji Ibrahim Sarkin-Yaki, Village Head of Tungar-Malam in Suru Local Government Area of Kebbi State

Alhaji Ibrahim Sarkin-Yaki, Village Head of Tungar Malam, in Suru Local Government Area (LGA), of Kebbi State, has regained freedom from his abductors.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Tungar Malam is under the jurisdiction of Lamido Dakingari, Dakingari District of Gwandu Emirate, Kebbi State.

Speaking in an interview with Journalists at Tungar Malam on Monday, Sarkin-Yaki appreciated God Almighty for sparing his life to personally tell the story.

Narrating his ordeal, he said: “The kidnappers, well armed with AK 47 rifles, stormed my house at about 12: 00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, and started beating my wives.

“They woke me up and asked me to give them money, I told them to wait so that we can scout for the money, they refused, instead they decided to abduct me and took me into Gwauron Dutse bush, close to the highway linking Dakingari and Bunza town.

“They were eight in number, each one of them had a rifle, and they still had many others in a bag. We trekked for about five hours inside the bush,” he narrated.

The village head said the kidnappers molested and assaulted him, inflicting injuries on him, and he had to undergo medical treatment after his release.

He said that all the kidnappers were young men who communicated in Fulfulde language, an indication that they were Fulani.

“I spent four days in captivity without seeing any food, talk-less of eating, we only survived by drinking water.

“Before they took me to the bush, they discovered that I did not have a cell phone, so they wrapped a SIM card with a piece of cloth and left it behind my house.

“My family found the SIM card, picked it and inserted it in a mobile phone, and waited for their call.

“It was through the line that the kidnappers communicated with my family and demanded for a N4 million ransom, but they were only able to raise N2 million.

“They gave my people directives to take the money to some place; and on receipt of the N2 million, they discharged me, but warned that the balance must be paid, otherwise they would return to pick me and collect the balance.

Alhaji Ibrahim Sarkin-Yaki, Village Head of Tungar-Malam in Suru Local Government Area of Kebbi State

A neighbour, Alhaji Sa’adu Tungar-Malam, said that he came out of his house to render assistance on hearing the commotion at the village head’s residence, but the sporadic shooting by the bandits forced him back.

“I witnessed how they beat him up and forced him to go with them, I was watching them up till the time they disappeared.

“As you see us here, in the night, nobody knows where another sleeps, even my wives, I do not know where they sleep, everybody is on his or her own, just to keep safe in the night.

“This has been the tradition every night; therefore, we are appealing to the government to come to our aid by providing security in the village.

“We do not have power, we do not have money and we do not have any kind of protection, Tungar-Malam said.

When contacted, the Council Chairman, Suru LGA, Alhaji Umar Maigandi, confirmed the incident, but asked the journalists to meet him in Birnin Kebbi to brief them on the action being taken by the government to address the issue.

However, on reaching Birnin Kebbi, Maigandi declined comment on the matter.

On his part, the Spokesman Kebbi State Police Command, DSP Nafi’u Abubakar, who also confirmed the incident said that the police were doing everything possible to fish out the criminals and bring them to book.

Abubakar appealed to the public to report any suspicious move to the appropriate authorities for prompt action.