The United Kingdom has strongly spoken out against the murder of 38 people who were kidnapped in Banga village, Zamfara State. These victims were killed even though their families paid a ransom of N50 million.

Gill Lever, who is currently the Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, called the act a terrible and shocking crime. She said such violence affects people’s minds and bodies and slows down the country’s economic growth.

She added that this kind of tragedy hurts not only the people involved but the entire nation and must be stopped immediately.

Lever offered her heartfelt sympathy to the families of those killed and the people of Zamfara. She called for urgent action to end these violent attacks.

She made these comments during a meeting on the State Expansion Programme for the Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell. This programme is a joint effort between the UK government and Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to fight kidnapping.

According to information from Daily Post, the killings happened in Banga village after armed bandits, led by a well-known criminal named Dan Sadiya, kidnapped 56 people. Although the kidnappers collected N50 million in ransom, they only released 18 people and killed the other 38.

The Chairman of Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area, Mannir Haidara Kaura, confirmed the attack. He also said that the people who were released are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.