Bandits have killed a 53-year-old Edo businessman and kidnapped his 13 relatives, mostly children travelling with him in Kaduna State.
The victims were among many travellers and residents reportedly abducted by gunmen at Katari, along the Kaduna–Abuja highways, in the Kachia Local Government Area of the state between 6 and 7 January, 2024.
Amedu, a baker, and his family members were coming from Delta State to Kaduna in two chattered vehicles when the incident happened.
The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mansir Hassan, had denied that anyone was kidnapped by the bandits.
The PPRO admitted that there was a heavy gun duel between security operatives and bandits who attempted to cross the Kaduna-Abuja highway at Dogon Fili area heading towards Jere axis on January 6th, during which some of the bandits escaped with bullet wounds.
He explained that in the course of the gun battle, six persons plying the highway sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
However, in a WhatsApp message, the families of the abducted victims insisted that those abducted by the terrorists included nine children from the families of both Alhaji Ibrahim Sadoh and Alhaji Abdulwahab Abubakar, PUNCH reports.
They explained that the terror group had reached out to the victims’ families and demanded N50m ransom, adding that both parents had spoken with their children, who said they were unharmed but obviously distressed.
“Last week Saturday, the 7th of January 2024, there was an attack by kidnappers along Abuja/ Kaduna road of which the children of our brothers were unfortunately among the victims seized from the commercial vehicle they boarded to Kaduna and taken to unknown destination,” the message reads.
“Those abducted from our side are the children of Alhaji Ibrahim Sadoh and Alhaji Abdulwahab Abubakar; numbering nine children altogether. Contact has been established with the kidnappers, and they are demanding a ransom of N50milion for their release.
“Both parents have spoken to the abducted children, and they sounded well, unharmed but obviously distressed, and would like the family to expedite action and facilitate their release.”
Confirming the incident to the punch on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, the late Edo businessman’s brother, Razaq, said the incident happened on January 6, while the victims were returning to Kaduna after visiting Warri, Delta State.
“They came to visit for the Christmas and New Year holidays. My siblings and their families came to visit. But they got attacked by bandits when they were going back to Kaduna, using two buses. I was told the bandits started shooting on seeing them. The first bus drove through them but the second bus stopped. My elder brother and 13 kids were on the second bus. The bandits took all of them,” Rasaq explained.
He said family members later got to know when the children started communicating from their captivity.
He said, according to the children, “My elder brother’s head was hit and he fell (leading to his death),” adding, “but the 13 kids are still with them. They started (ransom) negotiation from N200m, but now, we’re at N50m.”
Rasaq said he last communicated with the kidnappers on Tuesday.
“We found the body of my brother on Saturday and buried him the following day, January 7,” he added.
He said the family could not raise the N50m, noting, “That’s a lot of money.”
One of the mothers of the children who did not want to be named refused to make any update noting, “Not for now, what we are after is how our children will be out.”
But Zinab, the wife of Amedu, who confirmed her husband was killed, said the family was seeking help on the matter.
“They killed my husband and they went away with 13 children,” Zinab told the publication in a telephone interview on Wednesday, adding that the family was seeking “prayers and help from anybody who can help. We have 13 of our children with them.”
