A seven-year-old boy, Abdullahi Rabiu, has been found dead hours after he was kidnapped in Majema, along Ring Road, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The kidnappers reportedly demanded N2.5 million as ransom, but the boy’s body was discovered near his home before the money could be paid.
His uncle, Sukairaj Danladi Gado, told newsmen in Jos on Wednesday, October 21, that a family member sent the boy on an errand on Monday evening, but he never returned.
Gado said the family became worried and began searching for him without success.
“We started looking for him after that but all our efforts to locate him proved abortive,. But on Tuesday morning, we received a call from an unidentified telephone number telling us that the boy had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of N2.5 million.,” he explained.
“We agreed to pay the ransom because we wanted the boy to return home alive. We were hoping that he would be released, but what happened later shattered our hope
“The boy’s body was discovered on Tuesday evening in a narrow passage near his family’s residence. The incident has thrown the family and residents of the neighbourhood into mourning.”
Gado described the news of the boy’s death as painful and traumatic for the family.
“We suspect that the people behind this incident may be familiar with the neighbourhood. We want security agencies to investigate the matter and ensure that those responsible are arrested,” he said.
He urged security agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death, arrest those responsible and prevent a similar incident from happening again.
