The demand which translates into 40 cows per victim, was revealed by the husbands of some of the abducted women and security sources.
The news of the kidnapped had been denied by people in Chibok, Borno State, where the incident happened, including vigilante youths. The state police command has also admitted that it was not aware of the kidnapping incident.
But the insurgents, who picked up the women in Garkin Fulani, a nomadic settlement near Chibok town last week Thursday, are now reaching out to the husbands of their victims with what could be described as a tall order.
A source within the security, who did not want his name mentioned, said many Fulani herdsmen had reported cases of abductions to various police divisional headquarters and outposts around Damoba and Kaga local government areas. The police source said the husbands and fathers of the abducted women were not ready to part with even a single calf as ransom for the release of their wives and daughters.
"You know the Fulani hold their herds very dearly, because without them they have no means of livelihood," the source said.
"Most of them have come to report the incident at our offices but they are all saying such demands are not tenable."
]The officer said they were currently handling a particular case at the police divisional outpost in Jakana town, Kaga Local Government Area, about 50 kilometres from Maiduguri, where a Fulani man said he would rather stay without his wife than to give out what he did not even have.
"This man in question has a son delivered to him by his abducted wife and presently the man and his son are at the police station in Jakana.
"He said he was asked to provide 40 cows as ransom for the release of his abducted wife, but the man said he has his son with him; and that if God wills that his wife would return to him, he doesn't need to part away with his means of livelihood to secure her back."
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