Raypower Abuja Head of Station, Isah Ellams, has regained his freedom after being kidnapped from his home in Karshi on Tuesday, April 14, alongside his neighbour’s teenage daughter.
Ellams said the abductors, suspected to be armed herders, invaded the area late at night, shooting sporadically before taking him and the girl.
The teenager’s father, a retired civil servant, was shot while trying to resist the abduction and was later confirmed dead in hospital.
Recounting the ordeal, Ellams said they were forced to trek through bush paths for over two nights, “with torture and pain, walking and resting at intervals” until they arrived at Toto Local Government Area in Nasarawa State.
Karshi to Toto is approximately 101 kilometres a journey experts estimate would take over 22 hours of continuous walking.
Ellams and the girl were released on Friday, April 17, after a ransom of N14 million was paid to the kidnappers. Both are now receiving medical treatment.
The incident has renewed calls for stronger security measures to curb kidnapping for ransom. “As long as these criminal elements continue to cash out daily without repercussions, we may never see an end to this menace,” a security analyst said.
In a related case, John Arum Azi, a student of the University of Jos, was abducted on April 13 along the Jos–Kaduna highway while travelling for a business trip to repair equipment.
He was kidnapped alongside six other passengers. The abductors initially demanded N30 million ransom and released videos showing him being severely tortured. As of press time, his status remained unknown.
The FCT Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on either incident at press time.
