Christian Daily International–Morning Star News reported on 10 November that two Christian girls, aged four and 13, died after being released from captivity in Awon village, Kachia County, Kaduna state, Nigeria. According to the report, armed Fulani gunmen seized a group of villagers on 20 April, and the surviving captives were freed on 2 November. The older girl is said to have died the following day.
The report names other captives who died while held, including a pregnant woman who reportedly died after giving birth, a man and his young son, and several teenagers. The number abducted is given inconsistently in the article, as nine in one place and 11 in another. A local resident quoted in the report said the kidnappers received three motorcycles and about 2 million naira, roughly $1,482, for each person released.
The same report said gunmen killed five Christians and wounded two others on 8 November in Barkin Ladi and Riyom counties of Plateau state. Its sources include local residents, a lawyer and a statement from Amnesty International’s Nigerian office.
Reporting note: This account relies on a single outlet, Christian Daily International–Morning Star News, whose headline and body give different ages for the second girl (11 and 13). The casualty figures and ransom details come from local residents and have not been independently verified here.
Photo: Halima Waziri / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
