Kidnappers Kill Hotel Owner, Manager, and Guest Despite N25m Ransom
In Gauraka, Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, kidnappers have murdered a hotel owner, his manager, and a guest after receiving a ransom of N25 million.
The victims were abducted earlier this month, and despite the ransom being paid, they were shot dead in the Dogon-Daji Forest, which spans the borders of Kaduna, Niger States, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Additionally, two vigilantes from the community, Abubakar Muhammad and Ibrahim Garba, who delivered the ransom to the kidnappers, were also killed by the bandits.
Yau Ahmad, a former chairman of Tafa LGA and relative of one of the deceased vigilantes, reported that the bodies were discovered in the bush and transported to the air force base near Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The remains of the vigilantes were buried on Saturday after being cleared by the army, according to Hussaini Abubakar, the commander of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) in Tafa.
A month earlier, another resident who had been kidnapped from the community was rescued with gunshot wounds and is now being treated at an army medical facility in Abuja.
Residents described the kidnapping, which took place in the early hours of August 17, 2024, noting that the attackers raided the hotel around 1 a.m., taking all the occupants. The security vigilante commander, Sabo Abdullahi, identified the victims as the hotel owner, his younger brother and his wife, the hotel manager, and other guests. The bandits forcibly opened the hotel gate and fired shots while leaving, attracting attention.
Residents have expressed frustration over the persistent bandit attacks in the area, revealing that kidnappers often transport victims to forests near Apo, as well as other locations along the Ijah-Koro and Ijah-Gwari roads leading to Bwari in the FCT.
