Kidnappers kill 3 of 10 victims in Abuja, hike ransom to N700m

Three Abuja kidnap victims out of 10 have reportedly been killed by their abductors days after taking them captive.

The victims were said to have been kidnapped on January 7 from an estate called Sagwari Layout in the Dutse area of Abuja.

One of those killed is a 13-year-old girl identified as the daughter of the chief legal officer of the National University Commission (NUC), Folorunsho Ariyo.

Ms Ariyo was abducted along with her mother and three siblings.

Ariyo’s corpse was released to her family from the Umaru Musa Yar’adua General Hospital, Sabon-Wuse, Niger State, where it was deposited by the police.

The teenage girl was buried on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at Dutse Cemetery, Abuja, while the other members of the family remain with their abductors.

According to reports, the kidnappers have increased their demand from the initial N60 million per person to N100 million, now totalling N700 million.

Residents said the victims were allegedly killed over the delay in raising the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

On Sunday, reports emerged that the kidnappers, who also operated in some villages in Bwari, had killed one of the six abducted persons to force the family into quickly raising the demanded ransom.