Chief Imam, two sons kidnapped in Abuja

A 59-year-old chief imam of Yangoji Central Mosque in Kwali Area Council, Abuja, Abdullahi Abubakar Gbedako and his sons, Aliyu Usman Abubakar, 22 and Ibrahim Abubakar, 11, have been kidnapped from their home.

A neighbour, simply identified as Shuaibu, said the incident happened on Friday, around 11:47 pm when the abducted, in their large numbers, wielding weapons invaded the religious leader’s house in the community.

He said some of the gang members positioned themselves at strategic places shooting into the air, while three others scaled the fence of the victim’s house.

“They shot and destroyed both the front doors and rear doors before they gained entrance into the chief imam’s room and whisked him away alongside with his two sons at gunpoint,” he said.

He said there was shooting by the kidnappers inside the victim’s compound for nearly 30 minutes before they left with their victims out of the community.

A family member of the chief imam, who preferred anonymity, disclosed that a contact has been established, which he said the kidnappers are demanding for N10 million ransom.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the FCT police command, DSP Adeh Josephine, confirmed the kidnap of the imam and his two sons.

She said while investigation is ongoing, effort was also on by the police and vigilante to rescue the victims.

“The FCT police commissioner, CP Sunday Babaji, also urges members of Yangoji community to remain calm and provide any information that will help the police in arresting the suspects,” she said.

(Adopted from Daily Trust)