FIVE of the six sisters of the Al-Kadriyar family who were kidnapped earlier this month by bandits in the Bwari area of Abuja have regained their freedom.
A statement by the spokesperson of the Nigerian Police Force, FCT Command, Josephine Adeh, a superintendent of Police, said security operatives successfully rescued the victims around Kajuru forest in Kaduna state at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, January, 20.
Read also: “We can’t sleep” FCT residents flee homes over bandits attacks, kidnappings
“Following the relentless advancement of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command Anti-Kidnapping squad in a concerted effort with troops of the Nigerian Army, on the heels of the kidnappers that struck the Zuma 1 area in the Bwari Area Council on the 2nd of January 2024, The FCT Police have rescued the victims and reunited them with their families,” the statement read in part.
An uncle to the girls, Kabiru Aminu, shared the news of their release on his X handle, @kabiru_aminu, with a video of the sisters and their family members celebrating.
“#Najeebahandhersisters are home right now. Someone, please wake me up!” Aminu wrote.
Displeased by the delay in raising the ransom, the kidnappers killed the eldest of the six sisters – Nabeehah – and dumped her body somewhere for her parents to bury and consequently increased the ransom to N 100 million.
Following the killing of Nabeehah, The ICIR reported that Nigerian security operatives were criticised for their failure to promptly rescue the abducted family members after spending ten days in captivity as of the time Nabeehah was killed.
This prompted a ‘friend’ of the former Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Isah Pantami, to assist the family with an additional N50 million.
It made Nigerians query the rationale for queuing for hours and days to get the National Identity Number (NIN) which is mainly aimed at identifying criminals.
Reacting, Pantami stated that he was frustrated that the security agencies were not deploying the NIN and other policies he developed while in government to fight insecurity.
The ICIR reported how residents of Kuchiko, a border town between the FCT and Niger state, fledd their homes due to bandits attacks and kidnappings.
While appreciating the efforts of the Inspector General of Police Olukayode Egbetokun, the FCT Police urged the city’s residents to call the following numbers for any emergency or to report suspicious activities: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883.
PCB: 09022222352
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected]