A national outcry and concerns about insecurity in the nation’s capital have been aroused by the violent kidnapping of five young Nigerian sisters near Abuja.
Just 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of Abuja, the sisters were abducted at the beginning of the year by armed men who broke into their home, a family member told AFP.
One of the sisters, Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, 21, was killed by the attackers, according to her, after a ransom deadline passed. The release of the others was still the subject of negotiations.
Criminal gangs in Nigeria have been known to target apartments, highways, and even schools in order to kidnap people for ransom.
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Following this week’s public outcry over the sisters’ case, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu denounced the “recent spate of kidnappings and bandit attacks.”
As gangs targeted areas of the heavily guarded Federal Capital Territory—which is the size of some states but is governed by a minister rather than a governor—First Lady Remi Tinubu expressed concern as well, and politicians and the media questioned the government’s approach.
Abuja was “under siege,” according to a tabloid over the weekend.
According to SBM Intelligence, a Nigerian risk consultancy, 283 kidnappings in the Federal Capital Territory alone have been reported by the organization in the last year.
According to some analysts, the nation’s economic woes are forcing more Nigerians into crime as a means of making ends meet, which is contributing to an increase in kidnappings.
Insecurity surrounding the capital has been increasing for years, according to SBM analyst Confidence MacHarry.
He stated, “It’s been getting worse for some time,” citing the attack on an Abuja prison on its outskirts in 2022 as a turning point.
Claiming to be affiliated with the Islamic State, jihadists released hundreds of prisoners from Kuje jail after gunmen bombed their way in.
Minister for the Federal Capital Territory has assured citizens that a solution will be found and advised them not to panic.
MacHarry warned that the government’s sporadic crackdowns on criminals in the satellite towns surrounding Abuja were ineffective and that a more consistent approach was required.
He claimed that “all the bandits have to do is lie low and buy themselves time.”
Nigerian law prohibits kidnappers from receiving ransom payments, but many families believe they have no other option and have little faith in the government.
A cousin of the sisters said that the sisters were at home in Bwari, inside the Federal Capital Territory, on the night they were abducted.
Asiya Adamu, 23, detailed how the assailants—known as “bandits” in Nigeria—attacked on January 2 at approximately nine o’clock at night.
When they insisted on money, the sisters’ father Mansoor offered his possessions since he had none to give.
His daughters and a cousin were gathered up by the attackers, who then tied their hands. Additionally, according to Adamu, they beat the seven family members and kidnapped Mansoor before taking them away.
When Mansoor’s brother attempted to assist, they shot him dead, and she claimed that multiple police officers were slain in a gunfight.
Adamu claimed that after Mansoor was freed on the condition that he raise a sizable ransom within a few days, the bandits killed Nabeeha, returned her body, and raised the ransom because the struggling family was unable to meet the deadline.
Even after increasing the new amount with the help of an internet crowdsourcing campaign and a former minister’s intervention, the family is still in the negotiation stage.
The eldest sister, according to Adamu, is only fourteen.
Politicians have verified her account. Although they told AFP they could not comment on specifics due to security concerns, police confirmed the “abduction of six young girls” and stated that a rescue was in progress.
With the intention of addressing Nigeria’s security issues—which include jihadists in the northeast, criminal militias in the northwest, and an increase in intercommunal violence in the central states—Tinubu took office last year.
However, some claim that the kidnapping crisis is unmanageable.
The nation’s capital, Abuja, is currently experiencing kidnappings, killings, and other documented cases of armed robbery and violent attacks; this, according to opposition politician Peter Obi, “clearly points to how insecure the rest of the country is now.”
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He declared, “As leaders, we should be deeply troubled by the trauma this family is going through and the blood of this helpless child.”
Although he did not provide a specific plan, the president stated that he intends to use education to address the underlying causes of the violence.
In the 2000s, kidnappings in Nigeria turned into a significant issue and are currently a thriving business.
The 276 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram jihadists in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, in 2014 garnered international attention, but abductions on a daily basis seldom receive much notice.
“You hear about kidnappings on a daily basis these days, including whole families,” Adamu remarked.
“Smart, sweet, and kind,” she said, adding that Nabeeha had recently completed her studies and was eager to graduate.
Adamu declared, “Nobody deserves this.” “No one should have to go through that.”
