Seven-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Kidnap, N2.5m Ransom Demand in Jos

A seven-year-old boy, Abdullahi Rabi’u, has been found dead in Majema, along Ring Road in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, hours after suspected kidnappers allegedly abducted him and demanded a ransom of N2.5 million.

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 after delivering the message.

According to Gado, the family became worried when Abdullahi did not return home and began searching for him, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

“On Tuesday morning, we received a call from an unidentified telephone number. The caller demanded N2.5 million as ransom and informed us that the boy had been kidnapped,” he said.

Gado explained that the family agreed to pay the ransom in the hope of securing the child’s safe release.

“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 hopes,” he added.

The uncle said the family was devastated when they received news that the boy’s body had been discovered.

He disclosed that the body was reportedly found on Tuesday evening in a narrow passage near the family’s residence, leaving relatives and residents of the neighbourhood in mourning.

Expressing concern over the incident, Gado said the family suspected that those responsible might be familiar with the area. He called on security agencies to investigate the killing, identify the perpetrators and ensure they are brought to justice.

“We are appealing to the security agencies to do everything possible to unravel the circumstances surrounding his death and bring the perpetrators to justice so that other families will not experience this kind of tragedy,” he said.

Efforts to obtain comments from security operatives were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.