Kidnappers gun down hotel owner, manager, guest despite ₦25m ransom
Kidnappers who had abducted a hotel owner, his manager, and a guest in Gauraka community, Tafa LGA of Niger State, have killed their victims despite receiving a ₦25 million ransom.
It was gathered that the two vigilantes from the community, Abubakar Muhammad and Ibrahim Garba, who delivered the ransom, were also murdered by the bandits.
An ex-Chairman of Tafa LGA and relative of one of the vigilantes, Yau Ahmad, stated that the victims were shot dead in the Dogon-Daji Forest, which borders Kaduna, Niger State, and the FCT.
READ ALSO: Villagers mourn loss of 40 lives in tragic boat accident
He added that the remains of the victims were transported to the air force base near Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after being discovered in the bush.
The commander of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) in Tafa, Hussaini Abubakar, stated that the remains of his colleagues were laid to rest on Saturday following clearance from the army.
He further noted that a man abducted from the community about a month earlier was rescued with gunshot injuries and is currently in an army medical facility in Abuja.
Journalists had reported that the victims were abducted in the early hours of August 17, 2024.
A resident of the community, who identified himself as Musa, said the attackers raided the hotel around 1 a.m. and abducted all the lodgers in the facility.
He said the bandits, who forced open the gate of the facility upon arrival, fired gunshots while leaving with their victims, which drew the community’s attention to the incident.
He added, “There was only one member of the security team nearby, and he fled upon sighting them. On our side, we were stationed in the central part of the town, and it was already late by the time we received the information.”
Some residents, lamenting the ongoing attacks on the town by bandits, said the gunmen often take their victims to the forest near the Apo community, as well as other areas along the Ijah-Koro and Ijah-Gwari Roads, which lead to Bwari town in the FCT.
City & Crime reports that Gauraka has experienced at least five kidnapping incidents in the past four months.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at Neptune Prime.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
