Bandits demand food items, N290m to release seven hostages abducted in Kuduru

Published

3 years ago

February 1, 2024

Bandits who abducted seven residents of Kuduru, a neighbouring community of Bwari Area Council in Abuja, have demanded for N290 million ransom to release the hostages.

The residents, including a pregnant woman, three children and four adults, who have spent one month and four days in captivity were abducted on January 28 at the Kuduru extention by the bandits.

According to a leader of the community who did not want to be named, the bandits have threatened to kill two out of the victims if the N290 million is not paid on time.

He said the abductors also demanded for food items, drugs, bed sheets and cardigans.

“They have reached out to us to bring N290 million to secure their release or that they will kill two of them. We have a pregnant woman and three children among them,” he said.

“They asked us to bring bags of rice, packs of Indomie, cough syrups, antibiotics, bedsheets and cardigans for the bandits’ use.

They insist that the N290 million ransom must be complete for them to let our people go.”

He pleaded with Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP) and Taoreed Lagbaja, the chief of army staff, to come to the rescue of the hostages.

“We know that they are trying their best but we plead with them to rescue our families like they did to the six sisters and the Ariyos,” he said.

“We understand that these people are already falling sick in captivity because of the harsh weather and the treatment there.”

Share on Facebook

APC Alleges Atiku, ADC Plot to Undermine Kaduna Campaign Flag-Off

Published

2 hours ago

October 24, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of allegedly orchestrating a disinformation campaign to discredit the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday.

In a statement issued on Saturday, October 24, 2026, the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, alleged that the former vice president and the ADC planned to circulate fake news, manipulated documents and doctored videos to undermine the campaign, President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.
Alake claimed that the alleged disinformation campaign involved the use of artificial intelligence, deepfake videos, counterfeit documents and social media platforms to manipulate public opinion.
According to him, the alleged plot had already begun with the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.

He alleged that the image was misrepresented to suggest that security personnel had been deployed to protect APC billboards, adding that the narrative was subsequently published by a national newspaper and shared by Atiku on his official social media accounts.

The APC spokesperson further alleged that another document had been circulated online, purportedly showing a letter from Governor Uba Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, concerning an alleged release of ₦2.3 trillion by the Kaduna State Government to host the rally.

Describing the claim as baseless, Alake questioned the possibility of a state government spending such an amount on a political rally.

He noted that Kaduna State’s budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026 stood at ₦458.271 billion, ₦790.439 billion and ₦985.9 billion, respectively.

According to him, the combined budgets for the three years amounted to less than ₦2.3 trillion, which he cited as evidence to challenge the claim circulating online.

Alake also alleged that the ADC and Atiku’s supporters were preparing to circulate old, manipulated and deepfake videos during the rally to create the impression of public resentment against the APC.

The council urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and verify information before sharing it, warning against the spread of misleading content on social media and other platforms.It further accused Atiku and the ADC of resorting to what it described as desperate tactics to gain political advantage ahead of future electoral contests.

The allegations were contained in a statement signed by Alake on behalf of the APC Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday.Atiku Abubakar and the ADC’s response to the allegations was not included in the statement.

Share on Facebook