Family members of Najeebah Al-Kadriyar have stated that they paid a ransom to bandits for the release of five of the six girls, who were among 23 people kidnapped on January 2, 2023, in the Bwari district of the Federal Capital Territory.
The bandits killed four people last week, while the remaining 19 were released on Saturday night.
In an exclusive chat with our journalist on Sunday, Abbas and Sherifdeen Al-Kadriyar, Najeebah’s uncles, denied assertions from FCT police and Nigerian Army sources that the girls and other victims were rescued through their collaborative efforts.
Abbas Al-Kadriyar, who picked up the Najeebah and her sisters from the forest, said, “We paid a ransom for the release of our girls. A ransom was paid, and the police were not involved.
”The children called me, and I went to pick them up. On my way, I saw soldiers at the junction, and the bush is a very thick bush along the Gurara Dam, so I had to call the attention of the soldiers to follow me to the spot where we could locate our children.
“The bandits left them there to call us to come and pick them up. But we paid a ransom, and no police were involved. The children were not rescued by anyone; the soldiers only assisted me in locating where they were, and they provided a cover for us.”
Another uncle, Sheriffdeen Al-Kadriyar, confirmed the narrative, saying, “My elder brother was the one who went to pick up the girls on Saturday, days after we paid the ransom.” But the military led them home.
Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command said that the Al-Kadriyar sisters and other abducted victims were recovered from the bandits’ nest in Kajuru woodland in Kaduna State on Saturday night by a joint team of police officers and Nigerian Army soldiers.
On January 2, 2024, approximately 23 people were abducted in the Zuma 1 area of Kawu, Bwari Area Council, Abuja.
The police verified on Sunday that all of the victims, including Najeebah and her sisters whose abduction had sparked nationwide concern, were released around 11 p.m. on Saturday and have since been reunited with their families.
