November 26, (THEWILL) – Bandits who abducted a police orderly during an attack on former governorship aspirant in Zamfara, Sagir Hamidu, along Kaduna – Abuja expressway last Sunday, have demanded N200m as ransom for his release.
The bandits, who issued a 6-hour ultimatum to the family of the police officer to raise the N200m, claimed they were about to relocate to another location.
They also threatened that after 6 hours, they would move with the abductees to a location where communication would not be possible.
The police orderly, Dambo Hosea, according to an Hausa tabloid Muryar ‘Yanci’, was among those the bandits abducted on Sunday after killing his boss, a former governorship aspirant in Zamfara State, late Sagir Hamidu, along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
”The bandits demanded that his family gather N200 million quickly, so as to release him.
“When they called the policeman’s family on cellular, they said they were leaving the location because there is no telecom services. That they should pay the ransom quickly. “
” The gunmen were annoyed when the family pleaded that they could only afford to pay N2 million. The gunmen expressed their anger and gave the family a 6 hours deadline to pay the N200 million ransom”, the report said.
The tabloid claimed that its reporter who listened to the recorded phone conversation between the bandits and the policeman’s family, said when they pleaded to pay N2 million, they rejected, warning ”you shouldn’t say so because this is a big man in our custody. You are saying what cannot be possible. The problem will escalate if you do not heed to our demand. If you ever mention N2 million again, we will either shoot him dead or slaughter him.”
When the gunmen allowed the policeman to speak with his family members, Hosea pleaded with them to help and pay the money in time.
He reportedly said, ”We trekked a very long distance before we could get the telecom service to call you. Please go to my friends if you cannot gather the money, seek for loan, I will pay back when I return”,
The Kaduna State Police Command has not issued any statement on the development.
