SaharaReporters had reported that the 85 people were kidnapped by the terrorists last Friday in the community.
Although the victims' ages were not specified, it was learnt that they included women and children.
The terrorists who kidnapped 85 people in Wanzamai village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State have demanded an additional N850,000 from the community to buy two motorcycles after collecting the sum of N1.7million as ransom.
SaharaReporters had reported that the 85 people were kidnapped by the terrorists last Friday in the community.
Although the victims' ages were not specified, it was learnt that they included women and children.
The victims were in the bush fetching firewood at about 8am when the terrorists rounded them up and marched them away into the forest.
It was learnt that the abductors demanded N20,000 from each of the 85 kidnapped victims, mostly women and children, for a total of N1.7 million.
Daily Post reports that according to a resident, Haruna Sani, the bandits have sent another message demanding an additional N850,000 to purchase two motorcycles.
Sani added that the terrorists directed each of the 85 kidnapped victims' families to pay an additional N10,000 so that the total of N850,000 can be raised.
He said, “You know that the bandits have earlier reduced the ransom from N50 million to N1.7 million, but now they have suddenly changed their minds and asked us to pay additional N850,000.”
He stated that the bandits were looking for extra cash because their two motorcycles were destroyed during a fight with military personnel.
“The military personnel have destroyed two motorcycles belonging to bandits in an operation, and the bandits want the Wanzamai community to pay for the damaged motorcycles,” he added.
Meanwhile, the state government has stated that it will not withdraw military personnel from Wanzamai village as one of the conditions for the bandits to release the kidnapped victims.
Mamman Tsafe, the state's Commissioner for Security and Internal Affairs, said the state government would not be intimidated by bandits into changing its security arrangements.
“We will not be intimidated and no pressure from the bandits will make us change our security arrangements,” he said.
Meanwhile, the residents of the village held a peaceful protest on Tuesday to express their displeasure with the alleged plan to transfer the commander of the military personnel stationed in Wanzamai to combat banditry.