Bandits collect N8.5m, demand 2 motorcycles again to release 13 victims

Bandits who collected N8.5 million and released four among 17 people including a female medical nurse at Kawu in Bwari Area Council of the FCT have again demanded two brand new Bajaj motorcycles from the families to release the remaining 13 victims in their captivity.

Daily Trust Saturday had earlier reported that bandits on December 26, 2023, invaded Kawu community in Bwari and abducted 23 persons, out of which four escaped, leaving behind 17 others.

The bandits were said to have threatened to kill the remaining 13 still in captivity for the delay in payment of ransom by the victims’ families.

Speaking with our reporter on Friday, a member of one of the families, Bala Dantani, said the ransom was paid in tranches, after members of the community, relations and some family members of victims struggled to contribute money.

He said the sum of N5m was raised and handed over to the bandits after they threatened to kill the captives for their families’ delay in bringing the ransom two weeks ago.

According to him, another N3.8 million was taken to the bandits on Tuesday, including foodstuffs and drugs as well as wines, after the leader promised to release the victims.

Meanwhile, the new Commissioner of Police FCT Command, Bennet Igwe, has resumed at the command’s headquarters.

A statement by the spokeswoman of the command, SP Adeh Josephine, said Igwe, who assumed duty on Friday, as the 31st police commissioner of the FCT command, took over from CP Haruna Garba, who has been promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police.