K!dnappers Demand N100Million For Children Of Gurara TV CEO’s Brother-in-Law In Kaduna

 

Kidnappers Demand N100Million For Children Of Gurara TV CEO’s Brother-in-Law In Kaduna

Dominic said he explained to the kidnappers that although he might be able to mobilise assistance from people around him if the ransom was reasonable, ₦100 million was beyond his reach.

Gunmen who abducted two children of Daniel Dominic, an Air Force officer and brother-in-law to the Chief Executive Officer of Gurara TV, Comrade Ernest Thyek Maidawa, from his residence in Rimi Village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have demanded a ₦100 million ransom for their release.

The victims, identified as 13-year-old Derick and 11-year-old Damina, were abducted during a late-night raid on Sunday alongside their mother and a neighbour. Their mother was later freed in the bush after the abductors realized her poor health was slowing their escape.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, Dominic disclosed that the kidnappers contacted him to demand ₦100 million for the children’s safe return. He stated that he plainly informed the callers he lacked the financial capability to pay such an amount.

He said, “The kidnappers called yesterday and made a demand of N100 million. I told them, ‘Look, let me be frank.’ I’m not hiding. I said, ‘Okay, let me just tell them the truth. Me, I don’t have money. I don’t have anything in my account.’”

Dominic said he explained to the kidnappers that although he might be able to mobilise assistance from people around him if the ransom was reasonable, ₦100 million was beyond his reach.

He said the caller responded by warning him that the abductors “don’t keep people for long,” which he understood as a threat to act quickly if the ransom was not raised.

Dominic said he deliberately avoided negotiating a specific amount with the kidnappers because he did not want to make a promise he could not fulfil.

“I didn’t bargain anything with them. I told them that I don’t have anything in my account. And I cannot mention that I will give you so-and-so amount,” he said.

“Because if, for example, I say I will give so-and-so amount, I’m lying. Because by the time he says, ‘Okay, bring it now,’ and I can’t come up with it, they’ll feel maybe I’m lying.”

Dominic expressed fears that failure to meet a demand could anger the kidnappers and expose his children to harm

“So maybe from there they can get angry and injure my children, or do something to them,” he said.

He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to assist his family while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the children and another victim abducted during the attack.

SaharaReporters reported on Monday that armed men invaded Dominic’s residence between 10pm and 11pm on Sunday while he was away on a night shift.

The attackers, reportedly numbering more than 10 and armed with rifles and machetes, first abducted a neighbour, a laboratory scientist at General Hospital, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna.

Dominic said the attackers subsequently broke through his fence and entered his house through a window after dismantling its burglary protection.

His wife, who was at home with their three children, namely Derick, Damina and seven-year-old Dominion, initially hid the children inside a kitchen cabinet.

When the gunmen entered the house and demanded money, Dominic said his wife told them there was none and claimed that her husband had gone to work.

She also told them that the children had travelled to their uncle’s house for the holiday, in an attempt to prevent the kidnappers from discovering them.

However, the attackers reportedly became suspicious and took her outside, where they had already tied the neighbour.

They later returned to search the house, turned the house upside down looking for money, and in the process, they discovered the children hiding in the kitchen cabinet.

The gunmen took the two older children, Derick and Damina, and left Dominion behind.

Dominic said the abductors accused his wife of lying after discovering the children and forced her and the two boys to accompany them towards nearby farmlands and the bush.

According to him, the attackers used tall crops as cover as they moved away from the community.

However, his wife reportedly struggled to keep up with them because she was unwell and repeatedly fell along the route.

Dominic said he had reported the incident to his superiors, and that security personnel had since visited the community to gather information that could assist in locating the victims.

With the latest ₦100 million ransom demand and warning that the kidnappers do not keep victims for long, Dominic said his family is facing an increasingly desperate situation.

He appealed for urgent intervention to secure the release of his two sons and the kidnapped neighbour.

 

The incident adds to concerns over the continued vulnerability of communities in parts of Kaduna State to armed attacks and abductions.