About eight charcoal burners were kidnapped on Tuesday evening in Nyalun community, Bashar District of Wase Local Council of Plateau State.

The incident occurred as the victims were returning home after processing charcoal on the outskirts of the community.

Shapi’i Sambo, a youth leader in Wase, told journalists that the kidnappers initially abducted all 10 occupants of the vehicle but released two at Garga in Kanam Local Council to convey a ransom demand to the victims’ relatives.

“The victims were returning around 7.30pm when the perpetrators suddenly stopped their vehicle loaded with charcoal and took them away.

“It is a shocking incident because the victims were struggling to make ends meet when this happened,” Sambo said.

He listed the kidnapped victims as Hassan Sa’idu, Shamsudden Abubakar, Usamatu Yakubu, Dayyabu Waziri, Inkilulu Dauda, Ado Sambo, Sule Dahiru and Umar Amadu.

Sambo added that the kidnappers were believed to have taken the victims into the Kukawa bush, a known hideout where they usually hold people for ransom.

One of the two persons released, Mummuni Musa, narrated: “After they kidnapped us, they tied us up and later released two of us. The kidnappers told us to go home and tell the owner of the vehicle to sell it and pay the ransom for the eight persons.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Plateau State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful even at the time of filing this report.