IDPs Rally to Raise Ransom After Kidnappers Kill One of Seven Abducted in Northeastern Nigeria

Seven locals from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, northeastern Nigeria, were abducted by unidentified kidnappers on Thursday, Jan. 9. Among the abductees were two displaced persons from the Muna Kumburi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Makeshift Camp, who went into the bush to fetch firewood. 

What should have been a simple act of survival turned into a nightmare when unidentified kidnappers ambushed the group. The captives were held for three days, with the abductors demanding ₦1 million per person as ransom. The situation took a heartbreaking turn when one of the victims, a displaced person, was killed after his family failed to provide the ransom. 

Malam Aisami, the chairperson of the IDP camp, said the father of the abductee who was killed in the recent incident had only  ₦100,000 out of the demanded ransom. 

For the residents of Muna Kumburi Camp, fetching firewood in the bush is a perilous but essential activity, particularly as humanitarian aid has ceased for the past ten months, leaving residents without food and other essential supplies. “We have been encountering kidnappers in the forest when we go out to fetch firewood to earn a living. This year alone, four members of our camp have been kidnapped, two killed because ransom was not paid,” Aisami told HumAngle. 

The recent death has sent worries through the camp as well as stirred desperate efforts to save the remaining abductee, with the displaced community rallying together to raise funds. 

“We are crowdfunding to raise the ₦1 million ransom,” Aisami said. “We are collecting money in mosques, from individuals in the camp, and from members of the host community. We cannot bear to lose another life.” Aisami disclosed that they have extended their efforts beyond collecting money from worship centres within the camp. They are now reaching out to individuals and institutions in the host community for donations to rescue their community members. “No amount is too small. We accept any contribution,” he said.

The camp has suffered multiple tragedies in the past year. A fire in March 2024 destroyed the entire settlement, leaving 7,000 people homeless. Five months later, the ‘Maiduguri Great Flood’ ravaged what little shelter remained. These compounded crises have left the displaced community in a precarious state since fleeing their hometowns years ago due to insurgency.

“People are sacrificing their lives to venture into the bush because they have no other choice,” Aisami noted. “We have been displaced for over seven years, and there is no humanitarian organisation helping us anymore.”

The lack of support has pushed camp residents into a dangerous cycle of vulnerability year-round, forcing them to choose between starvation and the risk of falling victim to kidnappers.

While the displaced community struggles to save one of their own, the fates of the four abductees from the host community remain unclear. Local sources told HumAngle that the families of these victims are also working independently to raise ransoms, but the lack of coordination and resources hampers their efforts.

This is not just about one abduction or one death,” Aisami said, his voice heavy with emotions. “It is about a system that has abandoned us, forcing us to take risks just to survive. We need urgent assistance like food and security.”