As Torture Camps Swell With Victims, Media, Lawmakers Choose Silence
By: TruthNigeria Staff
Kaduna, Nigeria – The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Kaduna State Chapter, has accused the media and politicians of ignoring the surge in killings and kidnappings targeting ethnic communities in Southern Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria.
Speaking exclusively to TruthNigeria in Kaduna March 28, 2025, the MBF Chairman, Comrade Daniel Ejembi, who is also a human rights activist, criticized local community leaders and the clergy for failing to speak out against what he described as an ongoing pogrom in the predominantly Christian region of Kaduna State.
“Southern Kaduna is part of the Middle Belt and home to about 60 ethnic groups, most of whom are Christians,” he noted.
Ejembi revealed that he regularly receives distress calls from villagers under attack.
“These attacks had significantly reduced around March last year. But in recent times, there has been a sudden rise, particularly in kidnappings. Yet, the media remains silent,” he said, after being debriefed about a torture camp for kidnap-for-ransom victims in Rijana, 35 miles south of Kaduna City.
“Apart from TruthNigeria, other media outlets seem to be deliberately ignoring these crimes, as if there is a conspiracy to conceal them from the world.”
Ejembi also expressed frustration over the inaction of elected officials and religious leaders.
“I am shocked that politicians and even the Christian clergy seem indifferent to the daily killings and mass kidnappings in Chikun, Kajuru, Kachia, and Kauru Local Government Areas,” he said after reviewing film and photo documentation by TruthNigeria.
He accused Fulani bandits of operating freely, abducting people, subjecting them to inhumane treatment, and demanding huge ransoms.
“These criminals are having a field day while our governor, Senator Uba Sani, talks about forgiving so-called repentant bandits,” he said.
Ejembi reiterated the Middle Belt Forum’s opposition to the government’s amnesty policy for bandits.
“We believe that the same Fulani bandits who once terrorized Birnin Gwari have now shifted their operations to Southern Kaduna.”
He called on the media and all stakeholders in Kaduna State to break their silence and act.
Adara Community Decries Ongoing Attacks in Kajuru
Meanwhile, the Adara Christian ethnic group in Kajuru Local Government Area has raised alarm over continuous attacks on Ugom, a community of about 5,000 residents in Maro Ward.
In a statement made available to our correspondent the Chairman of the Ugom Progressive Union, Alhaji Ishaya Onnusim, described the dire situation:
“Since 2018, nearly 1,000 people in Dogon-Noma and Ugom have been killed in violent attacks. Over 100 others have died while in the captivity of kidnappers.”
The statement highlighted the gruesome fate of many abducted victims:
“Even after collecting huge ransoms, the kidnappers often kill their victims and refuse to release their bodies for proper burial.”
Onnusim lamented that killings and kidnappings in the region have become a daily occurrence.
Mother and Daughter Kidnapped Despite Ransom Payment
According to the statement, on February 16, 2025, a 21-year-old woman, Miss Adama Aniro Idauri, was kidnapped.
Her family, with the support of the entire Dogon-Noma village, eventually raised the ransom demanded for her release. However, past experiences had made the villagers wary—several people who had previously delivered ransom payments were either kidnapped or killed.
“Due to fear, no one was willing to take the risk of delivering the money,” the statement explained.
In desperation, the victim’s mother, 52-year-old widow Mrs. Sarah Aniro Idauri, pleaded with the villagers to let her go instead.
“Left with no other choice, the villagers granted her request,” the statement continued.
Tragically, on March 15, 2025, when she went to deliver the ransom, the kidnappers not only took the money but also abducted her. Now, both mother and daughter remain in captivity.
New Kidnappings Amid Community’s Despair
As the villagers struggled to come to terms with the mother and daughter’s abduction, another tragedy struck.
“On March 19, 2025, two more community members, Mr. Paul Anthony and Mr. Mathis Joel Dangiwa, were kidnapped on their way from Dogon-Noma to the market, where they intended to sell grains and buy essential food supplies,” Onnusim reported.
The two men are now in the kidnappers’ den, awaiting ransom payments, with their lives hanging in the balance.
“The situation in Ugom has reached a breaking point. We are crying out for urgent intervention from the government, security agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and well-meaning individuals to come to our aid,” he pleaded.
“Our community is being ravaged by criminals, and we can no longer suffer in silence,” according to the statement.
