A chilling account has emerged from Sokoto State, where a group of bandits gruesomely killed a driver and fed his remains to their dogs after abducting several of his passengers.
The victims, who include close relatives of prominent cleric Sheikh Danfili, were kidnapped while travelling to an undisclosed village in the state.
In a video shared with Daily Trust, Sheikh Danfili recounted the horrifying ordeal, revealing that the driver was executed on the spot, with the bandits feeding his flesh to their dogs.
The cleric, visibly shaken, explained that the bandits had demanded an exorbitant ransom in exchange for the release of the remaining captives.
“The bandits have taken several of my close relatives, though I won’t reveal their names. Among them are a man, his mother, his stepmother, two wives, and his sister. They were ambushed on their way to a village,” Danfili stated. “The driver was killed instantly, and his body was fed to their dogs.”
The cleric lamented the bandits’ demand for millions of Naira, a sum they are struggling to raise. “I am a scholar with no financial capacity. My work is to teach, as you can see from the books behind me. The deadline for the ransom is fast approaching, and we are deeply worried about what could happen if we fail to pay,” he said.
Sheikh Danfili’s plea comes amidst rising insecurity in Sokoto State, where kidnappings and violent attacks by armed groups have become alarmingly frequent. He expressed fears that the captives’ lives are in immediate danger, referencing the recent killing of a local traditional ruler by his abductors.
“I am urgently appealing to the public for help to meet the ransom demand and save the lives of my family members,” he said, making a desperate call for support in the face of the rapidly escalating situation.
The harrowing incident underscores the deepening insecurity crisis plaguing many parts of northern Nigeria, with communities increasingly at the mercy of ruthless armed groups.
