While the abductors of two women who were kidnapped Sunday night in Nasarawa State are demanding N50 million ransom, unsettling reports from Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, reveal that two children of Justice Ibrahim Shekarau of the State’s Judiciary were kidnapped on Tuesday in Lafia.
The children who are said to of primary school age were reportedly kidnapped from their home. Their parents had gone out when it happened.
Although details of the incidents are still sketchy, the Nasarawa state police command has commenced an investigation.
Following the N50 million ransom demand for the release of the women abducted on Sunday, a family source told Vanguard in Lafia that the women have been subjected to severe hardship since they were taken away by gunmen.
One of the victims, the wife of a pastor, was kidnapped alongside a church member. She is a nursing mother with a three-month-old baby and is said to be traumatised due to her health condition, the stress of long treks in the forest, and the harsh treatment from her captors.
“She is seriously worried about her health and the separation from her three-month-old baby. The hostile environment and the inhumane treatment pose a serious threat to her survival,” the source said.
The victim, who was overheard crying, reportedly pleaded: “My baby, my baby… please, who will help me out of this calamity? Somebody please help me out of this forest of pain.”
Her husband and other family members have expressed deep distress over the kidnappers’ insistence on the huge ransom before her release.
Sympathisers have called on security agencies and relevant authorities to urgently intervene and rescue the captives.
In a related development, Dr Muhammed Egye Osolafia, Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Humanitarian Services, who was also abducted on Sunday night, has regained his freedom.
