Tragedy struck in Abuja as three out of the 10 individuals who were kidnapped on January 7 from Sagwari Layout estate in the Dutse area have reportedly lost their lives at the hands of their abductors. Among the deceased is 13-year-old Folorunsho Ariyo, the daughter of the chief legal officer of the National University Commission (NUC).
The family, consisting of Ms. Ariyo, her mother, and three siblings, fell victim to the heinous crime. The lifeless body of Folorunsho Ariyo was handed over to her family from the Umaru Musa Yar’adua General Hospital in Sabon-Wuse, Niger State, where the police had deposited it.
The 13-year-old girl was laid to rest on January 14, 2024, at Dutse Cemetery in Abuja, while the remaining family members are still held captive by the abductors. Reports indicate that the kidnappers, dissatisfied with the progress in meeting their initial demand of N60 million per person, have raised their ransom to N100 million per person, now totaling N700 million.
Local residents have disclosed that the victims were allegedly killed due to delays in fulfilling the ransom requirements. Disturbingly, on Sunday, it was reported that the same group of kidnappers, active in villages in Bwari, took the life of one of the six abducted individuals, using such violence as a coercive tactic to expedite the ransom payment from the victim’s family.