By Cynthia Johnson
In a harrowing incident, Surajudeen Olasinde, a staff member of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, successfully secured the freedom of his abducted wife and daughters by paying a ransom of ₦2.8 million.
The ordeal began when Olasinde’s wife, Mistura, and their daughters, Fatima and Hauwa, were kidnapped on September 8th, 2023, in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
The abduction took place within Kabusa Garden Estate while the family was commuting from Garki to Starwood Estate, located between Galadimawa and Lokogoma areas in Abuja, their residential area. Olasinde recounted the terrifying incident, stating that it occurred around 7 pm. As they approached a poorly maintained road within Kabusa Garden Estate, armed kidnappers emerged from nearby bushes, opened fire to intimidate bystanders, and subsequently abducted the family.
“Their abduction happened around 7 pm last Friday on their way from Garki. Immediately they reached Kabusa Garden Estate at the spot where the road was terribly bad, the kidnappers came out from the nearby bush and attacked them. They started shooting to scare people away before they marched them into the bush,” said Olasinde.
Residents swiftly contacted the Galadimawa Divisional Police Officer, Jerry Cole, who promptly led a team of police officers and vigilante operatives in a search operation throughout the bushes. Unfortunately, their efforts yielded no success.
Olasinde, originally from Offa in Kwara State, was away in Kwara State when the abduction transpired. He explained that the police and vigilante groups continued their search efforts throughout the night until 3 am on Saturday.
They also sought assistance from the Department of State Services, whose tracking efforts led them to a forest in Kuje.
“I was not in Abuja when it happened because I have been transferred to Kwara State, but I was told that the police and the vigilantes searched the bush all through till 3 am on Saturday without success. We also contacted officers of the Department of State Services. They tracked the kidnappers’ movement and the search got to a forest in Kuje.”
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The captors initially demanded a staggering ₦100 million ransom from Olasinde’s brother-in-law, who they contacted. However, this demand was later reduced to ₦50 million and further down to ₦10 million. Eventually, they inquired about the family’s available funds.
Desperate to secure the release of his loved ones, Olasinde revealed that the kidnappers even threatened to harm his wife and daughters and profit from selling their body parts if their demands were not met. With limited resources, Olasinde and his family pleaded with the kidnappers to spare their lives.
When it became clear that they could not raise the initially demanded amount, the kidnappers focused on the family’s attacked Toyota Highlander, which was to be sold to gather the ransom.
Ultimately, the family managed to accumulate ₦2.840 million, and the kidnappers instructed them to deliver it on Saturday night. They were directed to go to Kabusa Village and pick a commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) to an undisclosed location.
Olasinde further narrated: “The kidnappers even told us that if they killed my wife and my two daughters, they could sell their body parts above whatever amount we claimed to have. We resorted to begging, pleading with them not to harm or kill my family.”
Olasinde and his brother-in-law complied with the instructions, delivering the ransom of N2 million in cash and N840,000. Following the payment, they had to wait for approximately 40 minutes before his wife and daughters were released. An Okada rider transported them back home.
“They directed us to bring the money around 8 pm on Saturday. They told us to go to Kabusa Village and pick any Okada rider (commercial motorcyclist) to a place where we did not know.
“My brother-in-law and I climbed the same bike to deliver the ransom. When we got to the thick forest where they were, they came out, collected the ransom. We gave them N2million and N840,000.
“It took about forty minutes before my wife and daughters got to the point where we waited for them. So we begged the Okada rider to take my wife and daughters home, and to come back and pick us too,” Olasinde revealed.
Regrettably, Olasinde’s wife and daughters sustained injuries during their captivity and are grappling with psychological trauma. They have been admitted to a hospital for medical treatment. Olasinde has called upon President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to provide assistance to his family.
The chairman of the Residents of Starwood Estate, Kayode Adedoyin, highlighted numerous kidnapping incidents in the area and urged Minister Wike to take immediate action to enhance the security of residents.
When contacted, the Galadimawa Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Cole, declined to comment and directed inquiries to the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh. SP Adeh stated that the FCT Police Command had not been briefed on the situation but promised to provide an update once they had more information.
