The United Kingdom has strongly condemned the killing of 38 kidnapped residents in Banga village, Zamfara State, despite a N50 million ransom paid for their release.
The Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever, described the incident as an “unspeakable crime” during a briefing on the State Expansion Program for the Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell – a joint security project between the UK and Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
“It damages people’s mental and physical well‑being, retards economic progress, and we must bring an end to this,” she said, while expressing sympathy to the families of the victims and the entire people of Zamfara.
The attack happened after armed bandits, led by a notorious gang leader known as Dan Sadiya, kidnapped 56 villagers from Banga in Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area. According to local authorities, the bandits received a ransom of N50 million but released only 18 hostages and killed the remaining 38.
Chairman of Kaura-Namoda LGA, Mannir Haidara Kaura, confirmed the killings and said the survivors were taken to hospital for treatment.
The UK’s reaction comes amid growing concerns about rising insecurity in Nigeria’s North-West, where banditry and mass abductions have become frequent. Many have called for stronger and more coordinated efforts to stop the violence and protect rural communities.
