Bandits demand New Naira Note as kidnappings increase in Nigeria

A handful of suspected terrorists have kidnapped four people from Kolo village in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara state.

The Punch reports that the residents of the village – a man, a woman and two children – were kidnapped and their captors have rejected the old naira notes.

While demanding a ransom of N10 million before they could release the villagers, the terrorists also said that they would only be receiving the newly designed naira notes.

The Central Bank of Nigeria had earlier announced the redesign of the Nigerian naira notes including the N200, N500, and N1,000 denominations.

According to the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, the new notes will hit the banks on December 15 while the old notes will cease to become legal tender from January 31.

Emefiele also said that the plan to redesign the naira follows the need to curtail the activities of corrupt politicians and terrorists who have hoarded the old notes obtained through various illegal means.

However, a resident of the village, Mohammed Ibrahim, who spoke on the matter said that the villages are working effortlessly to raise the money.

Ibrahim also noted that the terrorists have also reduced the ransom from N10 million to N5 million but still maintain the condition that the money will be paid in the new naira notes.

His words:

“As we were trying to gather the money demanded by the terrorists, they sent another message this morning that they would not collect old naira notes.

“They said they would keep the abducted persons in their camps until the release of the new naira notes in December.”

The report also said that the police of the Zamfara state command is yet to comment on the incident.

According to the Punch, calls made to the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu, and the state Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, rang out.

It also added that messages sent to their mobile numbers were yet to be responded to as of the time of filing this report.
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