Kidnapped US returnee regains freedom

A Nigerian who was abducted upon her return from the United States of America on Tuesday October 1, 2024, has regained freedom.

Simply identified as Amaka E Ezeugo, the returnees told our correspondent that she was released in the early hours of Thursday.

Our reporter recalled that a native WhatsApp group which Ezeugo belongs to broke the news of her abduction on Wednesday morning, October 2, 2024.

The abductors, who were suspected to be Fulani bandits, placed a call the same day at noon demanding a ridiculous sum of N50 million as ransom, a family member said.

The kidnappers had subsequently handed the family a deadline for payment of the ransom.

They threatened to kill the victim if the ransom was not paid by midnight the same day.

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However, with the prompt response of the Nigerian Police, Rescue and Search operatives were dispatched and Ezeugo was rescued by security personnel from the Kajuru forest in Kaduna State, Josephine Adeh, Police public relations officer for the federal capital territory (FCT), said.

According to her: “Following the relentless advancement of the Abuja Police Command Anti-Kidnapping squad, in a concerted effort with troops of other security agencies, on the heels of the kidnappers that struck the Abuja resident of madam Ezeugo on October 2, 2024, the FCT Police has rescued the victim and reunited her with her family.

“The operatives successfully rescued the victims around Kajuru forest in Kaduna State at about 8:30 am on Thursday October 3, 2024″, Adeh said.

Recalling her ordeal, Ezeugo lamented that the kidnappers tortured her to the point she almost lost her life.

She revealed that her abductors were informed of her arrival from the United States.

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“They told me that someone informed them that I just returned from America. They demanded for dollars and commanded me to call my people to send N50 million naira to them or I will be killed”.

“They fed me with only water throughout my captivity. It’s a horrifying experience that I don’t wish anyone to go through.

“This is why most Nigerians who live abroad don’t want to come back home”, she lamented.

This medium reports that there has been an escalation of kidnappings and banditry in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, in recent times.

Last Saturday, the police announced that some of the kidnappers had been apprehended and their ammunition seized.

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the FCT, has assured residents that security agencies have intensified efforts to nip the abductions and banditry in the bud.

The Minister also said the kidnappers responsible for the spate of recent abductions would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.