By Our Reporter
Bandits have released seven of the 23 kidnapped victims from Kawu in Bwari Area Council of the FCT to go and raise over N20 million as ransom for the other victims.
Recall that City & Crime reported that bandits last Wednesday night invaded and whisked away 23 persons, including four children, from Kawu.
A resident who preferred to remain anonymous who disclosed this to City & Crime yesterday gave the names of one of the released victims as Alhaji Alhassan Sidi (Marafa of Kawo) whose four children were still in captivity.
Also released is Alhaji Gambo S. Fawa (Sarkin Fawa), who was freed along with his two wives, as well as a young man.
The resident said, “They were released with conditions to provide over N20m along with two special motorcycles before the rest of the victims will be freed.”
A relative of one of the victims, Ibrahim Tanimu Kawu, who spoke with our reporter on Sunday, said the four victims were released on Friday evening in a forest which bordered the FCT and Kaduna State.
He said, “Today at about 7am the kidnappers’ leader called through the telephone and we heard how the children were crying as they were beating them. What is more disturbing is that two among the children are between the ages of 13 and 12.
“But the families are confused on how to raise the N20m as there is no property to sell, and even the farmlands, nobody is coming to price them.”
Reacting to the development, the spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, SP Adeh Josephine, in a statement, said: “The NPF is actively engaging and contacting individuals crucial to the rescue operations and investigation. The objective is not only to bring perpetrators to justice, but also to intensify efforts in rescue operations for victims still in captivity.”