In a recent turn of events in the Sagwari Estate in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), seven out of ten individuals who were abducted have been successfully released from captivity. The incident occurred amid escalating insecurity in Abuja, with a group of gunmen raiding the estate situated opposite Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Dutse.
The assailants had initially abducted 10 residents, leading to the tragic loss of a student from Bayero University Kano (BUK), Talatu Salihu, a staff member of a local hotel, Akpagher Joseph Terzungwe, and 13-year-old Mitchell Ariyo. Subsequent to these unfortunate events, the kidnappers escalated the ransom demands for the remaining victims and set a deadline for compliance, which was set for Wednesday.
Sources within the FCT revealed on Sunday afternoon that the seven remaining victims, including a female hotel receptionist, a mother with her three children, and two young children, have been released and reunited with their families. However, for security reasons, both families have been relocated to an undisclosed location.
This development follows the recent release of the four surviving siblings of the late Nabeeha Al-Kadriyah, who had been tragically killed while in captivity. The sisters were initially taken hostage along with their father in early January. The criminals, in the aftermath of their sister’s murder, increased the ransom demand to N100 million, threatening harm to the remaining siblings.
As of the latest update filed at 12:30 am on Sunday, the four girls have been freed and have returned to their residence in Abuja, where the abduction initially took place. The situation highlights the ongoing challenges of insecurity in the region and the dire consequences faced by victims and their families.