Security operatives successfully rescued five sisters who were kidnapped in the Zuma 1 area of Kawu, within the Bwari Area Council of Abuja on January 2.
The police reported that the rescue of the sisters took place on Saturday, following the tragic death of one of the kidnapped siblings.
Armed men had seized the sisters in their home located just 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of Abuja, as per the family’s account.
Unfortunately, one sister, 21-year-old Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, lost her life when the ransom deadline elapsed.
According to a statement from the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, the girls were successfully rescued on Saturday night in the Kajuru forest in the adjoining Kaduna State.
“The FCT Police has rescued the victims and reunited them with their families,” a police statement said.
A relative of the girls verified to AFP that they have been reunited with their family. In recent times, there has been a surge in kidnapping for ransom in the Federal Capital Territory, with criminal groups targeting highways, residences, and even abducting individuals from their homes in estates within the city.
Bandits typically operate from bases situated in forests across the northwest and central states. Following widespread public outcry over the sisters’ case, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu denounced what he termed the “recent surge of kidnappings and bandit attacks.”
Addressing insecurity has become one of Tinubu’s primary commitments since assuming office in May of last year.
Some experts argue that the country’s economic challenges are fueling an increase in kidnappings, as desperate Nigerians resort to crime for financial gain. Despite Nigerian law prohibiting ransom payments to kidnappers, many families lack confidence in the authorities and feel compelled to make such payments.
The abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northeastern Nigeria by Boko Haram jihadists garnered global attention in 2014. However, daily abductions, although prevalent, rarely attract as much international focus.