Abuja Kidnappers Kill Three Victims, Raise Ransom To N700m

Abuja Kidnappers Kill Three Victims, Raise Ransom To N700m

Kidnappers of Abuja estate residents reportedly kill 2 more victims, raise ransom to N700m

Two more abductees have been contacted by kidnappers who, on January 7, 2024, abducted ten people from Sagwari Estate Layout at Dutse in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to issue a strong warning to their relatives negotiating a ransom payment.

According to reports, the bandits raised their demand from the initial N60 million per person to N100 million, now totaling N700 million, after killing some of the kidnap victims.

Locals claimed that the victims were murdered because the kidnappers had not released them in time to pay the ransom. One of the people slain is reportedly 13-year-old Folorunsho Ariyo, a secondary school student.

On Friday, there were rumors that the kidnappers, who were also active in some Bwari villages, had murdered Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, one of the six victims, in order to coerce the family into paying the ransom as soon as possible. 

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A former minister of communications and digital economy, Prof. Ali Pantami, reportedly said on Sunday that he had raised the remaining N50 million ransom for the Al-Kadriyar family, allowing them to secure the release of their five remaining daughters from the kidnappers after Nabeeha's murder.

Sagwari Layout locals, meanwhile, are finalizing preparations for a large-scale demonstration against what they see as the government's and security services' incompetence in saving their people. However, due to 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the protest—which was originally scheduled for this Monday—has been moved to Tuesday.