Metro

Kidnapping Of Five Sisters Sparks Outcry In Nigeria

Published

2 years 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

Court Remands Four Foreigners Over Alleged Kidnapping, Hostage Taking In Ogun

Published

3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Editor

An Ogun State Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, has ordered the remand of four foreign nationals arrested for alleged kidnapping, hostage taking and unlawful detention of several foreign victims.

This is even as the Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a medical doctor for allegedly transporting medical supplies from Sokoto State to suspected kidnapping gangs in Kwara.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the suspect was intercepted at Jebba in Moro Local Council, following an intelligence tip-off which linked him to a drug-delivery network servicing the criminal groups.
The arrest is said to be part of ongoing efforts to disrupt the supply chains aiding armed gangs across the region.

According to the statement, the kidnappers have recently become more desperate in seeking medical attention, particularly for treating gunshot wounds sustained during gunfights with security operatives.

Chief Magistrate A. K. Araba ordered the remand of Augustine Nketia Boateng, 41; Johnson Apan Julus, 43; Dramane Lenganir, 26; and 37-year-old Simms Raphael, all citizens of Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso.

The suspects were arrested at their operational base in Harmony Estate, Pakudi Obada Area, Ogun State, by officers of the International Police (Interpol), Force Criminal Investigation Department (Force CID) Annex, Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos, led by Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni.

The court ordered their remand at the Oba Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) following a motion ex parte marked MA/83PJ/2025, filed and moved by Morufu Ajani Animashaun, a legal officer in the Force Legal/Prosecution Department.

Animashaun told the court that the application was brought pursuant to Section 367 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Laws of Ogun State, 2017, and the court’s inherent jurisdiction.

He prayed the court for an order remanding the defendants for alleged kidnapping, abduction, hostage taking and unlawful detention, pending the issuance of legal advice by the Ogun State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), for a period of 60 days in the first instance.

He also sought an order directing their remand at the Ibara Correctional Centre, Abeokuta.

The motion was supported by an 18-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Inspector Oyebisi Oni of the Interpol Section, alongside a written address and documentary exhibits.

In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Araba ordered that the suspects be remanded at the Oba Centre of the NCoS pending the DPP’s legal advice. The case was adjourned to February 27, 2026.

According to the affidavit, Interpol received a request on November 7, 2025, from the National Central Bureau (NCB), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, concerning a case of conspiracy, kidnapping, abduction, human trafficking and obtaining money by false pretence.

The complaint was lodged by one Mr. Lengane Toyazoula against the defendants and others at large.

The request sought Interpol’s assistance in rescuing a 23-year-old Burkinabe woman, Lengane Audrey, allegedly held captive by the suspects. Based on intelligence from the NCB, a team of detectives from Interpol FCID Annex, Ikoyi, was deployed to Abeokuta, where the suspects were traced to Harmony Estate. Sixteen victims comprising Burkinabe nationals, 12 Ghanaians, one Togolese and one Ivorian were rescued.

During interrogation, the defendants allegedly admitted collecting 1,869,000 CFA (equivalent to N4,790,036.77) as ransom. Further investigation reportedly revealed that they lured victims from other countries into Nigeria under the guise of securing Canadian visas, collected money from them and detained them against their will.

The affidavit stated that the suspects, operating from Harmony Estate, unlawfully imprisoned the victims and extorted money from their families. A proposed charge sheet was attached as an exhibit.

The police officer further noted that the duplicate case file had been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) on December 2, 2025, and that a remand order was needed to detain the suspects for 60 days pending legal advice.

The affidavit also stated that 12 rescued victims had been handed over to the Consular General of the Ghana High Commission on December 3, 2025.It added that granting the remand application would serve the interest of justice.
(GUARDIAN)

Metro

Construction Worker arrested For Stabbing Supervisor Over N10,000

Published

3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Editor

A 35-year-old workman known as Joshua has been arrested and detained at the Boundary Police Division in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, for allegedly stabbing his site supervisor, Sopiriala Sokari, into a coma over a N10,000 debt.

According to eyewitnesses and the victim, Joshua had been hired by Sokari to transfer blocks to a construction site for N20,000.

However, when Sokari offered to pay him N10,000 upfront, Joshua refused and demanded full payment.

The incident occurred along Obiri Ikwerre Road, where Joshua allegedly broke a bottle and stabbed Sokari after a heated argument.

In a telephone conversation with journalists shortly after regaining consciousness at th:e hospital, Sokari narrated: “There is a boy called Joshua. He did a job for me, to transfer blocks to where they are working.

“The total job he did was 20,000 naira. So when he did the job, as I saw him, I asked him to take N10,000 first, let me confirm the job, then I will give him the balance.

“He refused, insisting that I must give him the whole money. He later met me where I was eating along Obiri Ikwerre Road, saying that I should give him the money now. I still insisted that I would give him only N10,000 till I confirmed the work.

“The next thing, he went and broke a bottle. The woman who was selling even had to bring out 20,000 naira after seeing his mood and gave it to him. After taking the money from the woman, he still used the bottle and stabbed me.

“Now I am lying down at Cottage Solution Hospital, Mbodo Aluu, where I was admitted. I am calling on Nigerians to help me. I have spent a lot of money. I need justice.”

The victim is currently receiving treatment at Cottage Solution Hospital, Mbodo Aluu, and has sustained severe injuries.

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Joshua and is conducting an in-depth investigation into the matter.

Metro

Lawmaker Wants Finance Minister, FIRS Chair Sacked Over N4tr Owed To Contractors

Published

4 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Editor

Member representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency Ikenga Ugochinyere, has called for the immediate dismissal of the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji.

Ugochinyere made the call while addressing members of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), who have been protesting the non-payment of N4 trillion owed to them by the federal government for executed contracts.

Ugochinyere, who visited the Ministry of Finance in solidarity with the protesting contractors on the fourth day of their protest, stated that the non-payment signifies a deeply distressed economy.

He accused the duo of “deliberately sabotaging” President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.

“There is no other way to renew hope than to pay local contractors who will now pay their suppliers. It’s the surest way to inject liquidity and renew economic hope in the country,” Ugochinyere said, stressing that settling these.

He specifically called out the two top officials for their alleged role in the payment delay.

He said, “The finance minister and the FIRS man are not doing Mr. President any good because people are so angry. Families cannot fulfil their obligations. Banks cannot get their money back.

“If the local contractors cannot be paid, I don’t think there is any reason why the finance minister should be in office. It’s not a favour, it’s a call to national duty.”

The lawmaker further alleged that the government has the funds to pay, citing the FIRS’s claims of increased revenue and the existence of the “Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.”

He questioned the legality and use of the infrastructure fund, alleging that “unappropriated national revenue running into trillions has been placed there and used to award high-value contracts without parliamentary oversight.”

The lawmaker called on the President to investigate the fund, insisting that “It is time for him to ask for the account balance sheet of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund. He needs to see the payment that they’re making and compare how important they are to the lives of Nigerians to this non-payment of local contractors.”

He also condemned any suggestion of calling in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to audit the already certified contracts, dismissing it as “nonsense” and a delay tactic.

Meanwhile, the members have been protesting for four days in a row, since Tuesday, 2nd December 2025, demanding that the Minister of Finance fulfil an alleged promise to offset N760 billion as the first tranche of the payments.

AICAN President, Mr. Jackson Nwosu, said that AICAN is not leaving the ministry without getting paid.

He expressed frustration at the political handling of the matter despite work having been completed over a year ago.

“The people cannot work and you don’t pay them for over a year. What is Nigeria doing with the funds? What is the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu doing with our funds? Every contractor needs their payments,” Mr. Nwosu insisted.

He expressed worry that the Minister may be deliberately stalling payments until the end of the year, which would transfer the debt to the next year’s liabilities, a move the association vehemently rejects.