Bandits Free Abuja Chief’s Son After Collecting Solar Panel As Ransom

Bandits have set free the son of the Village Head of Tekpeshe in Gurdi Ward of Abaji Area Council in the FCT, Ibrahim Sarki after his family bought a solar panel, drugs, and foodstuff worth N436,700 for them.

According to reports the bandits, on September 9, 2022, invaded Tekpeshe and abducted a former councilor, Mohammed Ibrahim Tanko, and 16 others, including the village head’s son, but the bandits later released the ex-councilor and the 16 others, held back the chief’s son and demanded N8m for his freedom.

After weeks in captivity, the bandits last week threatened to indoctrinate the chief’s son if his family failed to raise the N8m.

While confirming the release of the chief’s son through a telephone conversation on Wednesday, the Waziri of Tekpeshe, Ibrahim Tanko, revealed that he was released on Tuesday at about 9 pm at a forest in neighboring Zago village in Niger State.

He stated that after several pleadings, the bandits asked his family to buy a solar panel, drugs and foodstuff for them before the victim would be released.

“The entire members of the community had to gather money, with some selling their goats, including motorcycles, to raise N500,000 used in buying the items.”

He added that the victim was receiving treatment in a hospital in Kwali.

As of the time of filing this report, the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, DSP Adeh Josephine, was yet to reply to an SMS about the development