‘I Swear to God We Will Repay You’ — Terrorists Threaten Kaduna Community After Troops Kill Two Insurgents

After a military operation killed two gang members and recovered an AK-47 gun, ammunition, and approximately ₦1.6 million, residents of Ungwan Nungu in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State are terrified due to new threats from terrorists who pledged to retaliate.

The renewed threats, according to community sources who spoke to Sahara Reporters on Friday, occurred just a few days after ten residents—six women and four men—were kidnapped on their fields on November 29. This pattern has become commonplace in the neighborhood.

Residents said that the terrorists were stopped by military on Friday as they were trying to demand a ransom for the villagers who had been kidnapped. One cartridge of 9mm ammo, an AK-47 weapon, and money thought to be ransom money were purportedly found by the soldiers.

In a Hausa-language recording that Sahara Reporters was able to get, the terrorists claimed that villagers had alerted soldiers, which resulted in the deadly ambush.

One homeowner claimed, “The voice note is from the terrorists who are threatening us after two of them were suspected of being killed.”

About fifteen individuals, mostly youngsters, were kidnapped in an earlier attack in Ungwan Nungu; five of them were eventually abandoned because they were too frail to make the walk.

A terrorist threatened the community with violent reprisal in the audio message.

“We are grateful for what you have done for us,” he remarked. I hope you all wish to coexist peacefully with us.

“Is that the reason you dispatched troops to us? Do you hear me? Do you realize how powerful God is? I swear to Almighty God. You and I have “entered the same trousers.” You sent soldiers along even though you brought us money.

“Are you listening to me? I pledge to God that we will pay you back for what the army did to us. We will undoubtedly take revenge if we survive.

“I’m telling you this so that you won’t claim we didn’t warn you in the future, not because I want to hear what you have to say. We will exact revenge on them for what they did to us, by God’s grace. Just wait and see if you are still a part of this community.

He cautioned that after reorganizing, the group would return. Additionally, the terrorist demanded payment for the confiscated AK-47 and threatened to launch widespread attacks if the town did not comply.

“Are you hearing me?” he asked. You will witness God’s miracles when we return next month once we have finished preparing.

“They stole one of our rifles, and only God knows how many lives will be lost as a result. However, they reimburse us for the firearm that went missing.

“We have been interacting peacefully with both the security personnel and you people.” However, if you don’t pay for the rifle that the military stole from us, we will start attacking you everywhere—from the fields to the villages to the roadways, including the security personnel.

However, you can be sure that no one in your community will live in harmony if you refuse to pay for the firearm. You will regret giving me two months, I swear to God.

“Get ready. You know where to find us if you wish to pay. And if you don’t agree, we’ll come get it on our own.

A community leader insisted they did not notify the military and pled innocence in the recording.

“I swear to God, we did not send soldiers to you,” he declared. We fulfilled our commitment from yesterday. Why would we dispatch troops to your people? The Nigerian military, he continued, had approached the locals and accused them of concealing information on ransom talks.

“We took money yesterday to send to you without telling the Nigerian military, which is why they are upset. We still won’t tell them anything.

“No one was sent to you folks by us. We didn’t tell anyone, as I mentioned. They are placing the blame on us, questioning why we are speaking with you people while keeping the security personnel in the dark.

Residents of Ungwan Nungu say they now live in fear, not knowing when the assailants would strike again, since terrorists have designated roads, villages, and farmlands as targets.