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INSECURITY! Police SP puts up house for sale to pay ransom for abducted kids
It has been two months since seven residents of Kuduru New Extension, a border town between Abuja and Niger State, were kidnapped from their homes. Since then, the family members of the abductees have been negotiating with kidnappers.
FIJ learned that on the night of the abduction, the police arrived after the kidnappers had left with their victims.
Although the police arrived late, vigilantes arrived when they heard the intruders were attacking the community. A source (name withheld for safety) familiar with the incident told FIJ that the vigilantes were exchanging fire with the gunmen but could not run after them because their ammunition was not as sophisticated as what the kidnappers had.
“I think they wanted to raid more houses before the vigilantes arrived and started shooting to scare them off,” the source told FIJ.
Community residents and the family members of the abductees also wrote letters to the police to aid in the release of their loved ones.
“Wike eventually came around, but he only spoke with the community head and promised to beef up security in the community and the surroundings,” said the source.
500 MILLION NAIRA AND FOODSTUFF AS RANSOM
Shortly after the abduction, the kidnappers began calling the families of the abductees to request ransom.
“They asked for N150 million for the release of a man, asked the police superintendent to pay N50 million each for the release of his two children in their custody, and the husband of the pregnant woman was asked to bring N100 million because they were good to their boys. They asked for N500 million,” said the source.
Money was not all the kidnappers requested. They also asked for foodstuffs, a cardigan and medicine.
“They called to say the food they were giving abductees in their custody had been exhausted. They asked relatives to buy four bags of rice, a gallon of palm oil, two blankets, three cartons of Indomie and medicine. One of the kidnappers asked for a knee-length cardigan because he was feeling cold,” the source added.
The family members of the abductees came to a consensus that they should negotiate with the abductors together instead of individually.
“They got someone from the community who could speak Hausa, because they only spoke Hausa,” the source said.
He told FIJ that they began negotiating and pleading with the abductors. He also said relatives were only able to secure N23 million. They informed them that was all they had but the abductors said they wanted more. Later, the abductors told them to bring what they had.
FINDING A DRIVER TO DELIVER THE RANSOM AND FOODSTUFF
According to the source, it was difficult to get a driver to help deliver the ransom because all the drivers they spoke with were scared they would be killed.
“It took a while before they could get a driver to deliver the ransom and the food because they were all scared. There is a story of a driver who was killed after delivering ransom to kidnappers because the people thought he knew them. The drivers were scared because of this.”
Eventually, they were able to get a driver who agreed to deliver the ransom for a fee of N400,000.
“The kidnappers said we should bring food and money and when he got to Katcha in Niger State, they would call him and direct him.”
According to the source, when the driver first went to deliver the ransom, he saw soldiers on the road and the abductors told him to go back and return later. On his second trip there, the driver got to Katcha late, and the abductors told him to spend the night in a neighbouring town and return the following day.
The source also said that when the driver arrived at the agreed-upon place, they came out to meet him on motorcycles.
“The kidnappers called to tell us they had received the money; we thought they would release our people, but they refused and requested for the balance,” the source added.
ONE KILLED
FIJ learned that one of the abductees was killed on Sunday and the abductors began calling their family members to inform them.
“They called to tell their relatives they were giving us an ultimatum of one week to get the money or they would start killing. They have always been threatening to kill, and we have always been pleading with them,” said the source.
He also told FIJ that the kidnappers told them they wouldn’t release the dead body and would continue killing them until they provided the balance.
According to him, the kidnappers are now requesting N290 million. While the relatives are anticipating the release of their loved ones, they have begun selling their properties to secure the ransom.
“The police superintendent whose children were kidnapped told them he had put his house up for sale. The money is just too much and we are pleading with them to reduce it,” the source said.
…call for suspension of digital unit, cancellation of exams over widespread disruptions
By Gloria Ikibah
Lawmakers representing the South East in the House of Representatives have called for the immediate step-down of the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, citing severe lapses in the recent administration of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The caucus, under the leadership of Rep. Igariwey Enwo, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, expressed outrage over what they termed a systemic breakdown that affected nearly 380,000 candidates, many of whom must now retake the test.
The lawmakers noted that the five South Eastern states were among the hardest hit.
The caucus further criticised the handling of the issue, pointing to inadequate public communication, exam rescheduling that clashed with WAEC timetables, and the short notice provided to affected students.
The lawmakersemphasised that the mishandling has placed avoidable stress on students and their families.
By Francesca Hangeior
The head of the World Health Organization on Monday urged countries to adopt this week the Pandemic Agreement, aimed at preventing a repeat of the Covid-19 crisis.
WHO member states are holding their annual World Health Assembly, a gathering of the UN health agency’s decision-making body.
“At this assembly, member states will consider, and hopefully adopt, the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his opening address to the gathering in Geneva.
“This is truly a historic moment.”
After more than three years of negotiations, the text of the agreement was finalised by consensus last month.
The United States pulled out of the talks, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to trigger the country’s one-year withdrawal process to leave the WHO.
“Even in the middle of crisis, and in the face of significant opposition, you worked tirelessly, you never gave up, and you reached your goal,” said Tedros.
The hard-fought consensus spurred “joy, triumph, relief, exhaustion,” he said.
“I look forward to your adoption of the agreement.”
The agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response is expected to be adopted by the assembly on Tuesday.
It aims to better detect and combat pandemics by focusing on greater international coordination and surveillance, and more equitable access to vaccines and treatments.
The negotiations grew tense amid disagreements between wealthy and developing countries, with the latter feeling cut off from access to vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The agreement faced opposition from those who thought it would encroach on state sovereignty.
Countries have until May 2026 to thrash out the details of the agreement’s Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism.
The PABS mechanism deals with sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential, and the sharing of benefits derived from them: vaccines, tests and treatments.
Once the PABS system is finalised, the agreement can then be ratified. Sixty ratifications are required for the treaty to enter into force.
By Francesca Hangeior
At least one person has died while 61 others were said to have been rescued after an overloaded migrant boat disintegrated in the English Channel during an attempted crossing overnight, according to French maritime authorities, Sky News reported on Monday.
The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea confirmed the vessel had collapsed in the water, prompting a major rescue operation involving both French and British emergency services.
Among the rescued were a mother and her child, both suffering from hypothermia. They were airlifted to the hospital by helicopter. The rest of the survivors were transferred to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, south of Calais.
The French rescue tug Abeille Normandie launched three speedboats to retrieve 50 people from the water.
An additional 11 were rescued by British crews—two by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and nine by the UK Border Force vessel Ranger. All were eventually brought aboard the French tug.
A French Navy helicopter later spotted an unconscious person in the sea. The individual was retrieved by the RNLI and taken to the Abeille Normandie, where they were declared dead by the medical team onboard.
The United Kingdom government confirmed the fatality and expressed condolences. “We can confirm there has been a tragic incident in the Channel involving a small boat in French waters, which has resulted in the loss of one life.
“This latest tragedy underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings, and we continue to do everything we can to prevent callous criminals exploiting vulnerable people. Our thoughts are with those affected,” a spokesperson said, adding that efforts to prevent human smuggling continue.
The incident occurred amid a surge in Channel crossings. Over 12,000 people have arrived in the UK by small boats this year, including more than 1,100 in the past week alone.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer recently vowed to dismantle smuggling networks, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned of growing immigration pressures and pledged to reduce net migration by 2029.
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