Families of 52 people abducted across Borno State have been pushed into severe financial hardship, with some relatives reportedly selling their homes in anticipation of ransom demands from the kidnappers.
The victims were abducted by gunmen from different parts of the state on April 15, according to relatives of the victims.
The spokesperson for the affected families, Hassan Yati, said some families had resorted to selling their properties as they struggled to raise money for possible ransom payments.
Yati told Saturday PUNCH that one family whose two sons were abducted was defrauded of N1.5m by individuals who falsely claimed to be acting on behalf of the kidnappers.
According to him, the family had been asked to pay N3m but later discovered that the actual terrorists had neither demanded the money nor authorised anyone to collect ransom on their behalf.
He said the development had further worsened the financial difficulties faced by families already struggling to meet their basic needs.
Yati also disclosed that a woman whose only daughter was among those kidnapped had sold her family house in Biu Local Government Area in preparation for a possible ransom demand.
“Initially, we thought it was money the kidnappers wanted. One of the parents with only daughter kidnapped told me she sold her family house in Biu in anticipation, only to hear otherwise.
“Even me, I put our family house up for sale, but no one is talking to us again,” he stated.
Yati said he also put his family house up for sale because his younger brother and his wife were among those abducted on April 15.
He explained that the families had subjected him to pressure because of his role as their spokesperson, with some accusing him of withholding information about efforts to secure the victims’ release.
“The rest of the parents bombard me with calls and messages. They now accuse me of hiding information,” he said.
According to him, repeated efforts by the families to draw the government’s attention to their plight had produced little result, leaving them frustrated by what he described as prolonged silence from the authorities.
One of the parents who sold her house, Monday Bako, said her daughter was kidnapped on January 13 and that the family had received no information about her whereabouts.
Bako, a food vendor, said, “They kidnapped my daughter since 13th of January till today. I have no idea of where they are and who held her captive. We have not heard anything about her and others abducted in our community.
“I later sold my house to raise money in case we hear any information. We thought they would demand ransom but unfortunately, nothing has been demanded.”
Another relative whose wife and three-month-old baby are being held by the terrorists appealed to the government to intensify efforts to secure their release.
“We are tired of waiting. We are dying in silence. Our appeal to the government is for them to come to our aid,” the source said.
