Five Nigerian sisters freed after family crowdfund their ransom
FIVE Nigerian sisters who were kidnapped have been freed after the murder of a sixth sister led to a crowdfunding campaign to pay their ransom.
The Al-kadriyar sisters and their father were abducted from their home in the outskirts of the capital, Abuja, on Jan 2. The ambush left an uncle and three police officers dead.
The kidnappers demanded a huge sum for their release – 65 million naira (£53,000) – by Jan 12.
When the ransom went unpaid, the family received a call from the kidnappers. “[When] the deadline they gave us lapsed, they called and we tried to plead and negotiate with them that we were only able to raise close to 30 million naira,” an uncle called Sherifdeen told local media.
“After [going] back and forth, they instructed us to come and receive a ‘message’ in the night.”
The message was the murder of one of the sisters, Nabeeha Al-kadriyar, 21, who was days away from graduating with a science degree from Ahmadu Bello University.
“When we got there, around 10pm, what we saw was shocking. Nabeeha and three other victims were brutally murdered,” Mr Sherifdeen said. Nabeeha’s kidnappers handed over her body and she was quickly buried by her family, in accordance with Islamic rites.
The bandits then raised the ransom to 100 million naira – 20 million naira for each of the remaining sisters.
The case caused outrage in a country where kidnappings have become rife, particularly in the north-west. Hundreds of people have been abducted in recent years, with close to 20 people in the first week of 2024.
On Wednesday, Abuja’s police force launched a special squad to tackle the kidnapping gangs as they bowed to public pressure.
The remaining sisters were freed after a cousin set up a crowdfunder to raise the ransom and Mansoor Al-kadriyar, the father, was freed in order to collect the money.
Nigerian law prohibits the payment of ransom money, but many victims pay because they do not trust authorities.