Bandits, Kidnappers Of 2 UniAbuja Profs, Family Members Demand N300m Ransom
Gunmen who kidnapped six persons from the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) Staff Quarters on Tuesday have demanded N300 million ransom in order to release their victims.
It was gathered that the gunmen contacted one of the kidnapped boys’ mothers to demand that N50 million each be paid for the six abductees.
According to a source in the University, which spoke to The Nation, the gunmen have opened a line of communication, using the woman to pass their demands across, adding; “The kidnappers contacted the woman whose son is with them. They allowed her to speak with the boy then they told her what their demands are. The kidnappers asked for N50 million each for the six persons kidnapped.”
Asked if the University authorities are involved in the negotiations, the source said; “The University is not involved. They contacted the woman whose child they abducted and they permitted her to speak to her son.
“They refused to speak with individual family members. It is not advisable for the University to get involved directly. That is the truth. If the families are negotiating, they may even get a better deal so to speak.
“If it is the University that is negotiating with them you know that they will not budge. It is better for the families to negotiate, when they come down then the University can do whatever it dims fit to do. I think that is the strategy.”
The spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, DSP Josephine Adeh, could not be reached for comment as at press time.
Gunmen, suspected to be bandits, in the early hours of Tuesday, invaded the University’s staff quarters and abducted four lecturers and some of their children.
It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering about 20, stormed the staff quarters in Giri through the east end of the University’s permanent site, close to the mountains. After pulling down the fence, they attacked houses in the area and took some of the lecturers as hostages.
In 2020, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, had raised an alarm about the presence of bandits in the university community.
A statement by the Head, Information and University Relations, Dr. Habib Yakoob quoted the Vice-Chancellor as saying that the staff and students were “living in fear of bandits.
“The truth is that this great university is in trouble right now. I say this because we have all sorts of people who are living on the campus, who are using the land without respect for the environment.
“It is worse now because bandits are coming in and taking over land both within staff residences and outside. Our students are being attacked; we are living in fear of bandits. Some of the indigenes give land to these bandits without really knowing them.” – The Nation reports
