The kidnapped traditional ruler of the Bukpe community in Abuja’s Kwali Area Council, Hassan Shamidozhi, has been released after weeks in the kidnappers’ lair.
Shamidozhi walked away from his palace amid sporadic gunfire on March 30 and reappeared on Saturday night after paying ransom to his kidnappers.
As reported by daily confidencethe traditional ruler was released along with Ahmad Joel and his daughter, Precious Joel, both residents of the community, after paying N2.5 million.
Unlike the duo, the kidnapper who had demanded N20 million as a ransom for the monarch later collected N4 million before setting him free on Saturday night.
As reported, the newly released abductees were released in a forest near the town of Zokutu, from where they walked to the Abaji-Toto road before taking a vehicle home.
In his interaction with supporters at his palace on Sunday, Shamidozhi said he did not think he would make it home alive.
Recounting his experience in his kidnappers’ camp, the monarch described his bitter experience as something he would not wish on his enemies.
He estimated the number of kidnappers at more than 200 with sophisticated weapons and different camps.
“I do not pray that my enemy will be a victim, because with what I saw with my eyes, I could not believe that I would return home alive. These bandits were more than 200 with sophisticated weapons and different camps”, he would have said.
ALSO READ: Police unaware of ransom payments to kidnappers – Official
Shamidozhi and the two freed residents were among the growing list of living victims of insecurity in Nigeria.
The FCT, like its neighboring states, has recently become an easy target for kidnappers, as the number of victims in the satellite cities continues to grow daily.
The communities of Abaji, Kuje, Bwari and Kwali have recently witnessed many cases of kidnappings with little or no resistance from police or other security inside the areas.
A chief imam of the Yangoji Central Mosque in the Kwali area, Abdullahi Gbedako, and his sons, Aliyu Abubakar and Ibrahim Abubakar, were also abducted from their home in late 2021.
Residents of the Kuje Area Council have also seen a similar trend of kidnappings in recent years.