Lawyer recounts father’s murder after ransom payment
An Abuja-based lawyer, Mr. Bala Dakum, on Thursday, recounted how his 85-year-old father, Deh Idi Dakum, was kidnapped and murdered after a ransom was paid.
Speaking with newsmen, Dakum expressed that he is still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, following the discovery and burial of his father’s remains.
The octogenarian was abducted on November 18 around 7 p.m. in their village, Matelem, in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, and his body was found on Saturday.
Mr. Bala Dakum, a principal partner at B. I. Dakum & Co. in Abuja, on Thursday, shared the heartbreaking details of how his 85-year-old father, Deh Idi Dakum, was abducted and killed after a ransom was paid. Dakum explained that his father, the Galadima Nyam in Tangur, Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, was kidnapped on November 18, 2024, at around 7 p.m. in their village of Matelem. The abductors took both his father’s and mother’s phones, and despite efforts to contact them, the family was unaware that his father had been killed just a kilometer from home that same day.
Dakum’s brother, Moses, eventually established contact with the kidnappers on November 19, who demanded a ransom. The family paid the ransom on November 20, but the kidnappers claimed to have left the elderly man near the village, though they later said they moved him to another location.
Despite reassurances from the kidnappers, his father did not return as promised, and on November 23, Dakum’s family received the tragic news of his death. His body was discovered in a farm, just a kilometer from where he was abducted, and appeared to have been there for several days.
His remains were buried on the same day in the presence of local leaders and security officials. Dakum expressed his concern about the vulnerability of their village, located near a large, poorly secured forest, which has made it prone to criminal attacks. He noted that many villagers are now fleeing in fear, leaving the community exposed.
“This tragedy leaves everyone in the village in fear, as my father was the pillar of hope for the community,” Dakum concluded. The lawyer also mentioned that his father had been previously kidnapped in February 2023.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at NeptunePrime.
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