By Ruth Eke
A seven-year-old boy, Abdullahi Rabi’u, has been found dead hours after suspected kidnappers abducted him and demanded a ransom of N2.5 million in Majema area, along Ring Road, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The victim’s uncle, Sukairaj Danladi Gado, said the boy was sent on an errand to a neighbour’s house on Monday evening but failed to return home after delivering the message.
Gado said the family became worried when the boy did not return and made efforts to locate him, but without success.
He said the family received a call from an unidentified number on Tuesday morning, with the caller demanding N2.5 million as ransom and informing them that the boy had been kidnapped.
According to him, the family agreed to pay the ransom in the hope of securing the boy’s safe return.
However, their hopes were dashed when they received the news of his death.
Gado said the boy’s body was reportedly discovered on Tuesday evening in a narrow passage near his family’s residence, throwing the family and residents of the neighbourhood into mourning.
Expressing concern over the incident, the uncle said the suspected perpetrators might be familiar with the neighbourhood.
He called on security agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death, arrest those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice.
Efforts to obtain comments from security operatives were unsuccessful as of press time.
