Five of the six Al-Kadriyar sisters who were kidnapped in the Bwari area of Abuja in early January have been released.
It was reported that the Al-Kadriyar sisters were released around midnight on Saturday.
The sisters were abducted along with their father and some community members. However, their father was immediately released, purportedly to settle the ransom.
The kidnappers then gave the family a deadline to pay the ransom.
Last week, it was revealed that one of the sisters, Nabeeha, had been killed by the abductors.
After killing the victim, the bandits reportedly increased the ransom demand from N60 million to N100 million. They also threatened to kill the remaining sisters.
According to Josephine Adeh, police public relations officer for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the sisters and other victims kidnapped in the Bwari area were rescued by security personnel from Kajuru forest in Kaduna state.
The statement reads:
“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 has rescued the victims and reunited them with their families.”
“The operatives successfully rescued the victims around Kajuru forest in Kaduna state at about 11:30 pm on Saturday 20th January 2024.
“While appreciating the Inspectors General of Police IGP Olukayode Egbetokun D., NPM, for the deployment of the newly commissioned Special Intervention Squad, which has given an uplift to the existing security architecture of the FCT and has brewed public confidence, the Commissioner of Police FCT Command CP Haruna G. Garba psc, wishes to reiterate the command’s commitment to sustaining the robust security deployment made in the area and other parts of the territory for the utmost maintenance of peace for all and sundry.”
Kidnappings and banditry in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, have recently increased.
On Saturday, police announced that some of the kidnappers had been apprehended and their weapons confiscated.
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the FCT, has assured residents that security agencies have stepped up efforts to prevent abductions and banditry.
The minister also stated that the kidnappers responsible for the recent spate of abductions would be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
