Seven people kidnapped by armed bandits in Gidan-Bijimi, Bwari Area Council, have been freed after their families paid a N2 million ransom.
The victims, six young women and a 15-year-old boy, were abducted on Wednesday night around 9:30 pm while attending the funeral of 95-year-old Jummai Tanko in the FCT community.
The group had traveled from their home in Kuchaba village, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, for the burial ceremony when gunmen stormed the area with sophisticated weapons.
According to Mr. Thomas Waha Sarki, the victims’ uncle who spoke to Daily Trust on Monday, the bandits had actually come looking for him but took his relatives instead when they couldn’t find him.
Those kidnapped were identified as Blessing Awu, Abigail Kasabare, Asabe Joshua, Kankani Joshua, Talatu Jaba, Agnes Kasabare, and 15-year-old David Awu, the only male in the group.
The bandits initially demanded N300 million for the victims’ release.
However, after intense negotiations that stretched from Friday into Saturday, the amount was reduced to N2 million.
The victims were finally released Saturday night in Kuyeri forest, Kagarko LGA, where a negotiator delivered the ransom money.
The traumatized group then walked for hours through the forest before reaching safety.
Sarki, a peasant farmer, had to sell bags of ginger from his farm and borrow money to raise the ransom.
“I had to sell some bags of ginger that I harvested and borrowed some money to raise the N2m before finally handing it to them through a negotiator,” he said.
