3 weeks after, kidnapped chief imam regains freedom

The abducted Chief Imam of Yangoji Central Mosque in the Kwali Area Council of Abuja, Abdullahi Abubakar Gbedako, and his son, Ibrahim Abubakar, have regained their freedom from their abductors after spending three weeks in captivity.

Daily Trust had reported that the chief imam, who is also the vice principal of the Government Junior Secondary School (GJSS), Kwaita in Kwali and his two sons were abducted by kidnappers at his residence in Yangoji three weeks ago.

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But one of the imam’s sons, Aliyu Abubakar, managed to escape from the kidnappers’ den and he was bitten by a snake in the bush last week.

A family member of the chief imam, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the release of the imam and his son Sunday.

He said they were released on Friday evening at about 6:47 pm.

He said the family struggled to source for additional N2.5 million demanded by the kidnappers before the victims were set free at a forest in the Sadauna community in Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

“And it was even out of the N2.5 million they asked the person that will be bringing the ransom to them to remove N100,000 to buy foodstuffs, drinks and drugs, apart from bags of rice and drinks the family bought for them earlier,” he said.

The Chief Imam was said to have gone for a medical checkup with his son at an undisclosed hospital in Gwagwalada.

The chairman of the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Stephen Knabayi, also confirmed the release of the vice principal, even as he declined to speak further.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, DSP Adeh Josephine, requested some time to find out about the release of the victims, promising to call back later.