Abducted Kaduna Family Begs For Help as Bandits Demand N300m Ransom
A video has emerged showing an abducted man, Ahmed Abubakar Zakka, holding his six-month-old baby while pleading for help from the public as a gunman points a firearm at him. Zakka, who was abducted alongside his wife…
Kidnapping for ransom remains one of the most persistent security threats in northern Nigeria, with Kaduna State among the states worst affected by banditry over the past decade. Armed groups operating from forested enclaves routinely target travellers, farmers and entire households, often circulating videos of captives as a pressure tactic to force families and communities into raising ransom payments, since state response to such abductions has frequently been slow or ineffective.
Both Daily Trust and Leadership report that the abduction occurred about a week before the story broke, and that a video surfaced showing a captive, identified by Daily Trust as Ahmed Abubakar Zakka, holding an infant while armed captors demand N300 million for the family's release. Neither outlet reports on any action yet by security agencies, the number of family members still held, or how the appeal for public help is meant to be channelled, leaving key questions about the victims' location and prospects for rescue unanswered.