Mistura Olasinde and her two daughters, Hauwa and Fatima, experienced a nightmarish ordeal when they were forcibly pulled from their car in the nation’s capital, Abuja, on a fateful Friday evening. The shocking incident occurred near the Galadima District of Abuja as they were driving home to Starwood Estate from Garki.
The victim’s husband, Surajudeen Olasinde, a staff member of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), recounted the harrowing experience. According to Mr. Olasinde, the abduction took place at around 7 pm when they reached Kabusa Garden Estate, a spot notorious for its bad road conditions. It was there that a group of armed kidnappers emerged from the nearby bush, firing shots to terrify onlookers before forcibly marching Mistura and her daughters into the wilderness.
Local residents swiftly alerted the Galadimawa Divisional Police Station, prompting DPO Jerry Cole to lead his officers in a search operation, assisted by vigilant community members. However, their efforts proved fruitless as they scoured the area throughout the night until 3 am on Saturday.
Desperate for assistance, the family contacted the Department of State Services (DSS), who traced the kidnappers’ movements to Kuje Forest. It was during this time that the captors demanded a staggering N100 million ransom.
“They asked for N100 million, then reduced it to N50 million, and finally to N10 million,” Mr. Olasinde explained. “They even threatened to harm my family and sell their body parts if we couldn’t meet their demands. We pleaded with them, begging for my family’s safety.”
Eventually, after negotiations and frantic fundraising, the family managed to gather approximately N2.8 million. The kidnappers instructed them to deliver the ransom on Saturday night. Mr. Olasinde and his brother-in-law embarked on the dangerous mission, guided by the kidnappers’ instructions.
They handed over N2 million in cash and N840,000 before being reunited with Mistura and her daughters, who had endured a traumatic experience. Following their release, they were promptly taken to a hospital for medical attention.
Mr. Olasinde, deeply distressed by the ordeal, called upon President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, to intervene and ensure their safety. He also highlighted the rising number of kidnapping incidents in the area, urging the FCT minister to take decisive measures to enhance security.
Efforts to reach DPO Jerry Cole and FCT Police PRO Josephine Adeh for comments on the incident were unsuccessful at the time of this report. The situation underscores the ongoing challenges posed by kidnappings in Nigeria’s capital, leaving families in fear and demanding urgent action from authorities.
(NAN)
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