Sheikh Bashar Danfili, a prominent cleric in Sokoto State, has made a public appeal for financial assistance after bandits abducted six of his relatives while they were traveling to a village in the state.
In a short video posted on social media, Sheikh Danfili revealed that the victims include a man, his mother, stepmother, two wives, and sister.
He explained that the bandits have demanded a large sum of money as ransom, which the family is unable to raise, and the deadline is rapidly approaching.
“The bandits have kidnapped my close relatives. I don’t want to disclose their names,” said Danfili. “They were on their way to a village when they were attacked and kidnapped. Their driver was killed on the spot, and the bandits fed their dogs with his flesh. But the rest are still in captivity, including a husband, his mother, stepmother, two wives, and his sister.”
Danfili continued, “The bandits have demanded a huge amount of money, which runs into millions of Naira. We cannot raise it. I am a scholar; I don’t have anything. My job is only to teach people with the books that you can see behind me. And they gave us a deadline within which the money must be paid, or they would kill all of them. I know they can do that, looking at what happened recently to a traditional ruler in the state, who was killed by his abductors.”
He concluded with a plea: “Therefore, I am pleading for help from the general public so that we can pay the ransom and get them released.”