More details have emerged of how Na’imat Suleiman, a female legislative aide working at the National Assembly, Abuja, was abducted and killed by ‘one chance’ kidnappers with her body dumped by the roadside despite ransom paid to her kidnappers.
Na’imat, 28, who was a legislative aide to a member of the House of Representatives from Bauchi State, Hon. Isma’ila Dabo Haruna, fell into the hands of one of Abuja’s deadly criminal gangs, popularly known as ‘one chance’, while on her way home from work on Thursday, October 17.
The news of the death of Na’imat Suleiman became public when Hon. Haruna, raised it on the floor of the house as a motion of urgent national importance on Tuesday, October 22, stressing the urgent need for the security agencies to tackle the increasing activities of ‘one chance’ criminals prowling and unleashing havoc on residents of the FCT.
The lawmaker said Ms Suleman was reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint at Banex Junction, Wuse 2, by ‘one chance’ operators on her way home to Jahi District, around 6:15pm on Thursday, October 17, and subsequently murdered.
He said her life was cut short despite paying ransom in full and her body was found later between 9 pm and 10pm at Maitama/Minister’s Hill Bridge the same day.
The lawmaker, while expressing concern over the increasing activities of ‘one chance’ criminals in the territory, said there was an urgent need for the security agencies and relevant authorities to take measures to tackle the menace.
The House of Representatives while passing a resolution on the motion mandated its Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), National Security and Intelligence and Police Affairs to summon the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike; Commissioner of Police and the Director General (DG), Department of State Services (DSS), over the rise in killings and kidnapping by ‘one chance’ operators and other criminal elements.
Lawmaker narrates incident, wants alleged complicity of policeman probed
The Bauchi lawmaker, while speaking to one of our reporters over the weekend, said the unfortunate incident occurred while the aide was returning home from work.
He expressed concern over the alleged complicity of the policeman who retrieved the body of the deceased and deposited it at the Maitama hospital.
He said, “What happened was really pathetic and tragic. She left the office to go home with one of her colleagues. She alighted at Banex Bridge to board a vehicle towards Next Cash & Carry. She even called me from there before she was picked by the criminals who killed her and dumped her corpse.
“Her corpse was taken to the hospital by a policeman who claimed to have taken her using a Keke NAPEP. According to what I was told, he said somebody called and told him that a body was dumped by the road and he used the Keke to carry the corpse to the hospital.
“This is a highway which Keke doesn’t ply in the first place. What stops him from calling a police team to make all the necessary findings and document everything?
“What baffles me was the comment made by some hospital attendants that the same policeman was a familiar face in the hospital because he brings corpses regularly. This made me suspect foul play. Why would the same policeman be the regular person conveying corpses to the hospital?
“What disturbs me again is that the FCT minister is not doing enough on security. These killings are occurring almost on a daily basis. What are the security agencies doing to stop these organised killings by criminal gangs?
“There are areas that are known to be notorious about these criminalities, but the criminals are allowed to operate even during the day abducting and killing innocent Nigerians. We have had these incidents countless times. These criminals went into the house of a military General and shot him dead.
“Some were abducted from their homes. A clear case is that of a family in the Bwari area. One of the girls abducted was killed while the rest were rescued after paying a hefty ransom. These things should not be happening if the security of the nation’s capital is taken seriously.
“This was what prompted me to move the motion asking the house to summon the FCT minister, the Director DSS and others in order to find a lasting solution to the problem.
“We’ll continue to press for more strong measures to protect Nigerians, not only the residents of FCT, but every other Nigerian wherever he may be because the protection of their lives and properties as guaranteed in the nation’s constitution is the responsibility of the government.”
Family demands justice, says deceased preparing for marriage
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased, Alhaji Suleiman Abdullahi, a retired civil servant, has narrated how the life of his daughter who was preparing to get married was cut short.
The bereaved father, who was also involved in an accident some months ago, said he received the news of his daughter’s death with rude shock.
When Daily Trust visited the bereaved family‘s house on Saturday evening, the man, who could barely walk as a result of the accident, could not control his emotion and asked the elder brother of the deceased, Mukhtar Suleiman, to speak on his behalf.
Mukhtar said the incident happened after she boarded a taxi being operated by some gang of kidnappers at the Bannex junction by Nnamdi Azikwe Expressway, going to Jahi, where she resided.
He said it was the deceased’s fiancé, one Mubarak, who called him around 7pm that he should call his sister, adding that he suspected something strange was happening to her.
He said, “I immediately put a call across to her and she was telling me that she had been kidnapped and her kidnappers were demanding N 1 million. I wanted to ask her how it happened but she said, “Don’t ask questions; just go and look for the money and save my life.
“At that point, I ended the call and started calling people to see how we could raise the money.’’
Mukhtar said while he was looking for how to raise the money, her fiancé was trying to track her number and at some time, he informed the DSS.
He said along with the DSS, her number was tracked to Kubwa expressway down to Kagini, where she could not be reached again.
The brother said it was around 11pm, when he received a call from a strange number that he should be coming to Maitama General Hospital, as his sister was there in a state of unconsciousness.
He said, ‘’I was not having money on me but her boss who was already there asked me to carry a drop and start coming. I left with my brother and two of our sisters.
“On getting there, we found out that she was dead.
“I went to see her corpse at the mortuary. When I opened the cloth used to cover her, I saw that she had bruises on her forehead and around the nose as well as a major mark on her neck, suggesting she might have been strangulated.
“On enquiry, Mukhtar said the hospital management said she was brought in dead.
“A police officer was said to have brought her to the hospital from the bridge at Tipper garage close to the Ministers’ Hill, where she was allegedly dumped with her mouth tied and a leather on her head.’’
He said the body was retrieved the following day and buried at the Bwari cemetery.
The family is calling on the police and other security agents in the FCT to wake up to their responsibility of protecting the lives and properties of innocent citizens.
“We have the FCT minister, we have the FCT Commissioner of Police and other security agents, but the evil activities of kidnapping continue on the people even within Abuja city centre.
“The leaders, especially those saddled with the responsibilities of protecting lives and properties should wake up and do the needful in order to save Abuja from one chance hoodlums,” the bereaved father pleaded after the interview with his son.
When contacted, FCT Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Josephine Adeh, a superintendent, said there was no record of such an incident at the command.
“I have not been briefed of such an incident but let me find out if we even recorded such and revert back to you.’’
Killing by criminal gangs increasing in Abuja
Recently, there have been killings by some criminal gangs in the nation’s capital.
Few days ago, the principal of the Abuja Rehabilitation Centre, Bala Tsoho Musa, was reportedly killed by a yet-to-be identified assailant.
Musa, popularly referred to as Comrade, was reportedly found dead inside the centre, located in the Kuchiko community on the outskirts of Bwari town in the FCT.
The lifeless body of the deceased was found along with his wheelchair at the veranda of his house, where he usually took a rest before going to bed after checking the centre’s hostels.
A woman was also reported to have miraculously escaped from a ‘one chance’ kidnappers some days ago.
Daily Trust learnt that the woman was picked up at the Lokogoma area of Abuja and as she was being taken away, some courageous residents intercepted them after the tyre of their vehicle reportedly busted.
She was said to have been rescued in the process.
But before then, a motorcyclist, who the gang thought was tracing them, was reportedly shot.
Criminals must leave Abuja – Wike
The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has said part of the focus of his administration is to provide security for the residents of Abuja as well as the visitors.
He spoke while giving a deadline to beggars to leave Abuja streets at the inauguration of a road project in Abuja.
He said, “Yes, we are providing infrastructure in Abuja but security is not left out. We can’t allow beggars all over the place; some of them are criminals and informants to criminals. It is an embarrassment to the territory, especially to visitors.
“The government is providing infrastructure and addressing insecurity; we cannot allow people to become a security threat.”
Police vow to flush out criminal gangs from Abuja
The new FCT police commissioner, Olatunji Disu, has said the command would do everything possible to flush out armed criminal gangs from the nation’s capital.
He made the promise when he visited Mpape, Dawaki and Gwarimpa Tipper garage as well as some slums in Abuja.
On the rising criminal gangs, especially the ‘one chance’, the CP said no stone would be left unturned in curbing all forms of criminality in the nation’s capital and advised the criminals to leave.
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