A graduate of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), John Azi, a who was kidnapped on Saturday, April 11, has regained his freedom after spending 11 days in captivity.
Azi, who studied early childhood education, was abducted while travelling from Jos, the Plateau state capital, to Zaria in Kaduna.
His brother, Joseph, had earlier confirmed the incident, noting that the kidnappers initially demanded N30 million before reducing it to N5 million, alongside other undisclosed items.
On Wednesday, a viral video surfaced on social media showing the victim alongside a man who claimed he had been released.
Speaking on the development, Bulus Azi, the victim’s eldest brother, said he was freed after the family paid a ransom of N10.3 million on Tuesday.
However, he noted that the family had not yet physically reunited with him, as he was still on his way from Zaria.
“That video was from Zaria. We are yet to see him, though we are also waiting for him, but we have not gotten him. He’s on his way coming. We chartered a car, and we are still expecting him,” he said.
“After we had paid yesterday, they decided to connect him. They said they will look for a bike man who will bring him out.”
Bulus explained that the victim received medical attention shortly after his release before arrangements were made to transport him back to Jos.
“We looked for a driver there in a motor park. We communicated with the park, collected the driver’s number, and I transferred money to him,” he said.
“I spoke with the driver like 20 minutes ago, and I also spoke with the boy.”
He disclosed that the ransom was paid in instalments due to fluctuating demands from the abductors.
“We paid it almost three times because whenever there’s news in social media, they will increase the amount. That was what they kept doing,” he said.
He added that the final demand included an extra N4 million after an earlier payment of N6.315 million.
“Today is 11 days. He was kidnapped on the 11th of April 2026 until today,” he added.
On whether security agencies were involved, he said the family handled the situation independently despite informing the police.
“We cannot leave him there waiting for police. It’s between us and them. And we have to do what they say we should do to be able to save a life,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the Plateau state police command had not issued an official statement on the development.