The gunmen, who stormed Munya Local Government Area of Niger State and abducted over 32 villagers, on Thursday demanded N49m for their release.

WuzupNigeria reports that over 32 villagers, including the son of the District Head of Beni,  Alhaji Jafaru Umar Sarki, were abducted on Wednesday by the bandits.

It was gathered that the district head was asked to pay N17m for the release of his son, Abdulrahaman Jafaru, while the relations of other victims were directed to pay N1m each.

The bandits were said to have given the relations seven days from Thursday or they forget about their family members.

It was also gathered that the bandits, apart from rustling cattle and sheep and sacking the homes and shops of the villagers, dispossessed them of about 60 handsets.

20 people were initially were kidnapped but the figure has now risen to 32 including a top politician from Paikoro local government who went to pay a condolence visit on the family of a friend when he was abducted.

The District head of Beni, Alhaji Jafaru Umar Sarki, confirmed that he like others have been contacted by the bandits to pay the ransom.

“I told them I did not have that type of money because I just paid N1.5m for the release of my daughter who was kidnapped two days to her wedding

” They told me that is not their problem, they said the first ransom was for another group,” the district head said.

Sarki said,

“it is unfortunate that since this thing started about a week now nobody has come to commiserate with us”.

It was learnt however that air surveillance has commenced in the area.

Last Sunday an army officer and three soldiers were killed in an ambush by the bandits.

Also on Wednesday, four villagers were killed while the chief imam of the Beni central mosque Alhaji Umar Ali and others were abducted.

However, there has been no official confirmation of the incident.