Eight residents abducted by bandits in Kaduna State have reportedly died in captivity, six months after they were kidnapped from Awon community in Kachia Local Government Area.
The victims were among 11 residents abducted when the bandits invaded the community on April 20, 2026.
The abductors reportedly demanded N300 million and 23 motorcycles as ransom for the release of the victims. However, they rejected the community’s offer and allegedly threatened to withhold food from the captives until their demands were met.
Among those who died was a mother who was abducted alongside her 14-year-old daughter. 
The mother reportedly died first, while her daughter later succumbed after falling critically ill in captivity.
A journalist, Reuben Buhari, confirmed the latest deaths in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Two other victims, identified as 34-year-old Yusuf Bawa and his five-year-old son, were also reported to have died in captivity from illness and severe hunger.
The deaths bring to eight the number of victims reportedly killed or lost while in the custody of the abductors, leaving only three of the 11 abducted residents unaccounted for.
The development has renewed concerns over the worsening security situation in parts of Southern Kaduna, where rural communities have continued to face attacks and abductions by armed groups.
Efforts to obtain confirmation from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful as the Police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, did not respond to calls at the time of filing this report.
