Suspected bandits killed a 53-year-old banker, Tijjani Ahmadu, and kidnapped 13 of his relatives, mostly children, who were traveling with him in Katari, Kaduna State.
In a telephone contact with our correspondent on Wednesday, the Edo State-born businessman’s brother, AbdurRasaq, stated that the incident occurred on January 6, 2024, while the victims were returning to Kaduna from Warri, Delta State.
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AbdurRasaq said, “They came to visit for the Christmas and New Year holidays. My siblings and their families came to visit. But they got attacked by bandits when they were going back to Kaduna, using two buses. I was told the bandits started shooting on seeing them. The first bus drove through them but the second bus stopped. My elder brother and 13 kids were on the second bus. The bandits took all of them.”
He said family members later got to know when the children started communicating from their captivity.
He said, according to the children, “My elder brother’s head was hit and he fell (leading to his death),” adding, “but the 13 kids are still with them. They started (ransom) negotiation from N200m, but now, we’re at N50m.”
AbdurRasaq said he last communicated with the kidnappers on Tuesday.
“We found the body of my brother on Saturday and buried him the following day, January 7,” he added.
He said the family could not raise the N50m, noting, “That’s a lot of money.”
One of the mothers of the children who did not want to be named refused to make any update noting, “Not for now, what we are after is how our children will be out.”
But Zainab, the wife of Ahmadu, who confirmed her husband was killed, said the family was seeking help on the matter.
“They killed my husband and they went away with 13 children,” Zainab told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Wednesday, adding that the family was seeking “prayers and help from anybody who can help. We have 13 of our children with them.”
When contacted on Wednesday, the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansur Hassan, asked for details of the incident.
He then said, “I will get back to you.” He had yet to do so as of the filing this report.