Tension escalated in Sabon Layi Babban Mutu, a community in Katsina State, after armed bandits kidnapped about 30 villagers and demanded a staggering ransom of ₦100 million per hostage.
The abductors reportedly held the victims for days while insisting that the families produce the payment before anyone would be freed.
The situation created deep anxiety in the community, which has suffered repeated attacks in recent months.
In an unexpected turn of events, villagers and local vigilantes decided to retaliate by tracking down and capturing the relatives of the bandits, including their brothers, mothers and other close family members.
According to accounts circulating on social media, the community sent a message directly to the bandits, threatening to execute the relatives if the abducted villagers were not released immediately. This unusual counter-action stunned many Nigerians following the story online.
After three tense days, the bandits reportedly released all the villagers without collecting any ransom.
In some versions of the account, each freed villager was even handed ₦30,000 for transport back home.
While the story continues to circulate widely, security agencies have not yet officially confirmed the incident, reflecting the increasingly complex and desperate dynamics of insecurity in the region.