Armed terrorists have abducted 16 residents from Yan Hakki village in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
They killed one woman during the attack, and released only two of the captives despite the community paying a N5 million ransom, local sources confirmed on Monday.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday, December 7, 2025, when dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the farming community, shooting sporadically and setting several houses ablaze.
According to the village head, Sunusi Abubakar, the terrorists initially seized 16 people, mostly young men and women. One female victim was shot dead while attempting to escape, and her body was later recovered by residents.
After days of negotiations, the community raised and paid N5 million as demanded by the kidnappers.
On Sunday evening, the terrorists released two of the captives—an elderly man and a young boy—but refused to free the remaining 14, insisting on additional payments.
“They collected the N5 million we struggled to raise, released only two people, and went away with the rest,” a distraught Sunusi Abubakar told journalists.
“They gave no reason for keeping the others. We are now confused and terrified.”
As of Tuesday morning, December 9, 2025, the 14 remaining victims—including several breadwinners—were still in captivity, with no further contact from the abductors.
The Kano State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the incident, despite repeated inquiries. Residents say no security operatives have visited the village since the attack.
Yan Hakki village lies close to the border with Katsina State, a region long plagued by terrorism.
While Kano has historically experienced fewer such attacks compared to neighboring Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina states, recent months have seen a worrying spillover of armed criminal gangs into southern and central parts of the state.
Community leaders have appealed to both state and federal authorities for urgent intervention, warning that further delays could lead to more loss of life.
“We are peaceful farmers. We have no means to fight these people,” one resident said.
“If nothing is done soon, they will return, and no one will be left in this village.”
The incident adds to a growing wave of mass abductions across northwest Nigeria, where bandit groups frequently target rural communities, demanding ransoms running into tens of millions of naira.
Authorities are yet to confirm any arrests or rescue operations in connection with Saturday’s attack.
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