By Ado Oyeyemi
A seven-year-old boy, Abdullahi Rabi’u, has been found dead in Jos, Plateau State, hours after suspected kidnappers allegedly demanded N2.5m for his release.
The incident occurred in the Majema area along Ring Road in Jos North Local Government Area, throwing the victim’s family and residents into mourning.
The boy’s uncle, Sukairaj Danladi Gado, told PUNCH Metro in Jos on Wednesday that Abdullahi went missing on Monday evening after being sent on an errand to a neighbour’s house.
Gado said the family became worried when the child failed to return home and made unsuccessful efforts to locate him.
He explained that the situation took a disturbing turn on Tuesday morning when the family received a telephone call from an unidentified person claiming to have abducted the boy and demanding N2.5m as ransom.
“On Tuesday morning, we received a call from an unidentified telephone number. The caller demanded N2.5m as ransom and informed us that the boy had been kidnapped.
“We agreed to pay the ransom because we wanted the boy to return home alive.
We were hoping that he would be released, but what happened later shattered our hopes,” he said.
The family’s hope of securing the child’s release was dashed later that day when they learnt that his body had been discovered.
According to Gado, the body was found on Tuesday evening in a narrow passage close to the family’s residence.
He described the incident as devastating, saying the family had remained hopeful that the child would return home safely after the ransom demand.
The victim’s uncle expressed concern that the perpetrators might be familiar with the neighbourhood, urging security agencies to investigate the killing and ensure that those responsible were arrested and prosecuted.
“We suspect that the people behind this incident may be familiar with the neighbourhood. We want security agencies to investigate the matter and ensure that those responsible are arrested,” he said.
He also appealed to the authorities to unravel the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death and prevent similar incidents in the community.
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When contacted on Wednesday, the Plateau State Police Command had yet to respond to an enquiry about the incident as of the time of filing this report.
