Bandits have demanded N35 million in new naira notes for the wife of the chief of Bukpe in Kwali area council of the Federal Capital Territory and seven others who were on Friday. 

The bandits had attacked the locality at about 12:10am on Friday, February 3 while shooting wildly.

Amongst those kidnapped are the wife of the chief, his son, and six others.

The names of those taken away are: Hamisu Hassan, SadiyaHassan, Usama H. Yakub, Adamawye David, Asabe Matthew, Chebawaza Idris, Hadiza Idris and a student whose identity was not given.

A family source who craved anonymity said the bandits have established contact, demanding N35 million ransom in new naira notes for their release.

Meanwhile, the new FCT police commissioner, Mr. Sadiq Abubakar, while assuming office last month read the riot act to criminals and kidnappers to relocate as he intends to confront them headlong.

Efforts to get the reaction of the FCT police command were unsuccessful as calls and messages to ASP Josephine Adeh, the command’s spokesperson were not responded to.

However, it seems that the warning was unheeded going by the rising crime rate in the territory.

In January, a newspaper documented that over 69 persons were killed and 194 abducted in 194 attacks carried out by bandits and other criminals in the Federal Capital Territory in 2022.

Though the police disputed the statistics, they failed to provide what the “correct figure” was.

The latest abduction, which is rife in Kuje and Kwali area councils, brings a fearful spectre of how the decomposed bodies of the two abducted wives and five children of the Chief of Mutumbiyu Justices Chiefdom in Taraba State, Justice Sani Muhammed (retd), were found.

The decomposed bodies were found on Saturday and have since being buried at Mutumbiyu.

He explained, “The bodies of the members of my family killed by the kidnappers were found and will be brought to Mutumbiyu for burial.”