Metro

Kidnapping Of Five Sisters Sparks Outcry In Nigeria

Published

1 year ago

January 20, 2024

Kidnapped five sisters with their father

The violent abduction of five young Nigerian sisters near Abuja has sparked a national outcry and raised fears about insecurity in the country’s capital.

The sisters were kidnapped at the start of the year by armed men who burst into their home just 15 miles (25 kilometres) from Abuja city centre, a family member told AFP.

She said the attackers killed one of the sisters, 21-year-old Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, when a ransom deadline passed. Negotiations were ongoing for the release of the others.

Kidnapping for ransom has been a major problem in Nigeria with criminal gangs targeting highways, apartments and even snatching pupils from schools.

After public outrage over the sisters’ case this week, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned what he called the “recent spate of kidnappings and bandit attacks”.

First Lady Remi Tinubu also voiced concern, while politicians and the media questioned the government’s strategy after gangs targeted parts of the heavily guarded Federal Capital Territory, which is as big as some states but run by a minister rather than a governor.

One tabloid declared at the weekend that Abuja was “under siege”.

The Nigerian risk consultancy SBM Intelligence told AFP it had documented 283 people abducted in the Federal Capital Territory alone over the past year.

Some experts believe the country’s economic crisis is driving a rise in kidnappings as desperate Nigerians turn to crime for income.

SBM analyst Confidence MacHarry said insecurity around the capital has been growing for years.

“It’s been getting worse for some time,” he said, citing a 2022 attack on a prison on the outskirts of Abuja as a landmark moment.

Gunmen bombed their way into Kuje jail and freed hundreds of inmates in the raid claimed by Islamic State-allied jihadists.

The minister for the Federal Capital Territory has urged residents not to panic and promised to find a solution.

MacHarry said the government needed a consistent approach and warned periodic crackdowns on criminals in Abuja’s satellite towns were not working.

“All the bandits have to do is lie low and buy themselves time,” he said.

Nigerian law bans paying ransom to kidnappers, but many families have little faith in the authorities and feel they have no choice.

On the night the sisters were abducted, they were at home in Bwari inside the Federal Capital Territory, according to a cousin.

Asiya Adamu, 23, described how the attackers known as “bandits” in Nigeria struck at around 9 pm on January 2.

They demanded cash but the sisters’ father Mansoor had nothing to give and offered his belongings instead.

The attackers rounded up his daughters along with a cousin and tied their hands. They also took Mansoor captive and beat the seven family members before leading them away, Adamu said.

They shot Mansoor’s brother dead when he tried to help, and several police officers were killed in a gun battle, she said.

Mansoor was released on condition he raise a large ransom within days but the struggling family could not meet the deadline and the bandits killed Nabeeha, returned her body, and increased the fee, Adamu said.

The family is still trying to negotiate, even after raising the new total thanks to an online crowdfunding campaign and the intervention of a former minister.

Adamu said the youngest of the sisters is just 14.

Her account has been confirmed by politicians. Police acknowledged the “abduction of six young girls” and said a rescue was underway, but told AFP they could not provide details for security reasons.

Tinubu came to office last year vowing to tackle Nigeria’s insecurity, including jihadists in the northeast, criminal militias in the northwest and a flareup of intercommunal violence in central states.

But critics say the kidnapping crisis is out of control.

Opposition politician Peter Obi said, “The fact that these kidnappings, killings and other reported cases of armed robbery and violent attacks are now taking place in Abuja, the nation’s capital, is a clear pointer to how insecure the rest of the country now is.”

“The trauma being experienced by this family and the blood of this innocent child should prick our conscience as leaders,” he said.

The president said he plans to address the root causes of the violence through education, but did not outline a precise strategy.

Abductions became a major problem in Nigeria in the 2000s and are now a lucrative industry.

The kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northeastern Nigeria by Boko Haram jihadists made global headlines in 2014, but daily abductions rarely gain attention.

“Every day now you hear about a new kidnapping, even whole families,” said Adamu.

She described Nabeeha as “smart, sweet and kind,” saying she had just finished university and was looking forward to her graduation.

“Nobody deserves this,” Adamu said. “It shouldn’t be happening to anyone.”

AFP

Metro

My Husband Starved Me, Beat, Left Me Stark Naked After Tearing My Clothes, Woman Tells Court

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

A Grade A Customary Court sitting at Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, has adjourned for judgment a divorce suit brought before it by a woman, Leah, against her husband, Olalere, whom she accused of irresponsibility, constant battery and threat.

Leah stated that no marriage ceremony was held between her and Olalere and that he did not pay her bride price.

The plaintiff stated that the defendant neglected her and their child and left them to starve.

According to her, she and their child always looked malnourished.

Leah added that she and her husband fought almost every day because he was indifferent to their plight.

She stated that she moved about in their neighbourhood in shame because her husband was also in the habit of tearing her clothes to shreds and leaving her stark naked under the stare of neighbours and passers-by any time they fought.

The plaintiff said she moved out of his house with their only child when it was obvious that he would soon snuff life out of her.

The plaintiff explained that the defendant had insisted on having their child in his custody and had not ceased to threaten her.

Leah thus prayed the court to end their relationship and grant her custody of their child but make her husband responsible for his upkeep.

She further sought an order restraining him from threatening and interfering with her private life. Olalere was absent in court despite being served court summonses.

Leah, in her evidence, said: “My husband and I started living together shortly after we met. I moved into his house, and he did not meet my parents nor pay my bride price.

“I never enjoyed our marriage because my husband failed in his responsibility towards me and later our child.

“He never gave me feeding allowance and was not bothered about my welfare and that of our child. Our child and I always looked like a scarecrow because we were malnourished.

“My husband always got angry whenever I complained of his neglect of us, and he would beat me to a pulp.

“He not only beat me but would tear my clothes to shreds and leave me stark naked in the presence of our neighbours and passersby.

“I always moved around in our neighbourhood with my head bowed because of the way my husband humiliated me.

“I moved out of his house with our only child when I could no longer bear with his maltreatment of me.

“He has since refused that I had peace of mind.

“My husband now threatens to take our child from me.

“I plead that our marriage be dissolved and our child’s custody be granted to me.

“I further entreat the court to make my husband responsible for our child’s upkeep, giving feeding, education and health care a priority.

“I also request an order restricting him from threatening and interfering with my private life.”

The court president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, adjourned the case and ordered that a fresh hearing notice be issued and served the defendant.
(TRIBUNE)

Metro

‘I Found Out That My Husband Was A Cultist, Drug Addict One Month Into Our Marriage’

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

Grade A Customary Court, Court 2, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, has dissolved the 10-year-old wedlock between a couple, Adebimpe and Olusoji, on the account of irresponsibility, lack of care and love; deceit, drug addiction and domestic violence by the latter towards the former.

Adebimpe, who dragged her husband, Olusoji, to court, stated that he failed to take care of her and their children.

She also said that her husband deceived her when they met that he was a National Diploma Certificate holder and that he only told her the truth about his educational status a few weeks to their wedding.

The plaintiff stated that the defendant confessed to her that he was rusticated from school for a banned cult-related offence.

She added that she discovered he was addicted to drugs a month after they got married and also said that he resigned from work and started living on her.

Adebimpe further alleged that Olusoji was a brute, saying that he once beat her till she fainted.

She also told the court that she got him arrested and detained by the police following the incident.

She further explained that one of their children, who is a female, started complaining of vaginal pain after she paid him a visit in his new place of abode.

Adebimpe prayed the court to dissolve their union and grant her custody of their children.

She also requested an order restraining her husband from harassing, threatening and beating her, and also interfering with her private life.

Olusoji failed to make an appearance in court despite being served court summonses.

Adebimpe, in her testimony, said: “I met my husband in 2014, and we got married in 2015. My parents returned to him the bride price he paid on me.

“My husband built our relationship on deceit. He lied to me when we were courting that he had a National Diploma degree, but later confessed a few weeks to our wedding that he was expelled from school as a result of his involvement in banned cult activities.

“I discovered a month into our marriage that my husband is a drug addict. I reported him to his parents, who asked that I pray for him.

“They assured me that he would change, but unfortunately, he got worse.

“My husband was irresponsible and negligent of my needs and those of our children. He hardly gave us feeding allowance and was indifferent to our children’s education.

“He always complained of paucity of fund anytime I challenged him to be up to his responsibilities in the home and would sometimes beat me to a pulp.

“I was therefore left with no other choice than to add his duties to mine in the home.

“My husband, to my chagrin, resigned his job and started living on me.

“Life became tougher because we were invariably eating from hand to mouth.

“He stopped coming home to sleep after we fought over his irresponsible act.

“The conflict in our marriage was resolved after our parents mediated in our differences, but my husband still refused to return home.

“He came on a few occasions to check on our children.

“On one of these occasions, he had an altercation with our landlord who gave us a quit notice.

“I reported him to his mother, and he got angry and beat me till my face got swollen.

“He did not stop beating me until I fainted.

“I got him arrested by the police and he was detained for days.

“Our female child who is the youngest of our children has been complaining of vaginal pain, which is accredited to my husband when the children paid him a visit in his new abode.

“My husband destroyed the pictures and the compact disc of our wedding ceremony.

“He once spit on me and now threatens to beat me if I refuse to release our children to him.

“I pray this honourable court to dissolve our marriage and grant me custody of our children because my husband is not a good example to them.”

Giving her judgment, the court president, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, observed that the couple had a valid court marriage.

“According to Owoseni, the defendant was given ample opportunity to defend himself, but he chose to be absent in court.

“Owoseni stated further that the unchallenged evidence that the plaintiff is irresponsible was enough reason to dissolve the marriage.”

Ruling, Owoseni dissolved their marriage and granted the plaintiff custody of their children.

She also gave an order restricting the defendant from harassing, threatening, and interfering with the plaintiff’s private life.
(TRIBUNE)

Metro

My Daughter’s Lover Married Her Without My Consent, 74-yr-old Man Tells Court

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

…All he said is false —Man

A 74-year-old man, Alhaji Abdulrahman Kwamande, has prayed a Makurdi court in Benue State to dissolve the marriage between his daughter Halima and Aminu Sulaiman.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abdulrahman, in his application, stated that he was the biological father of Halima and consequently her ‘Waliyi (guardian), whose consent must be sought and obtained before any marriage can be contracted with her.

“I am not aware of any such marriage between my daughter and the respondent. I do not approve of this, nor did I mandate anybody to act as a ‘Waliyi’ to Halima.

“I insist that any marriage purportedly entered into between the respondent and my daughter is unlawful under Islamic law.

“The respondent abducted my daughter,” he alleged.

He said that Halima was sponsored to study Nursing at the Maryam Abacha University in Maradi, Niger Republic, by her uncle, so that upon her graduation, she will manage the health centre established for the well-being of the family.

The petitioner further stated that Aminu delegated four persons, to seek permission to court Halima and same was granted pending a background check on the personality of the respondent.

“I later discovered that the respondent took his children from his former wife, whom he had divorced and moved Halima into his house in Vandeikya LGA of Benue.

“I protested, asking the respondent to take his children away and allow my daughter to concentrate on her studies.

“After carrying out a background check on the respondent, I and my family were not comfortable with his personality because we discovered that his first marriage collapsed due to domestic violence.

“The conduct of Aminu made it impossible for my daughter to undergo the mandatory training in any approved nursing institution as well as the mandatory NYSC programme.

“To my shock, one of his sons informed me that he saw an invitation letter which trended online, showing that the respondent had gotten married to Halima,” he said.

He also argued that the action of the respondent to abduct his daughter, cohabitate with her and purportedly declare her as his wife without his consent as her biological father was against Shariah.

However, when the case came up for mention, Aminu denied all the allegations.

The magistrate, Abdullahi Ibrahim adjourned the case.