Outrage as netizens seek donation to pay ransom

Nigerians on social media have started a fundraising campaign for the ransom to seek the release of a lady identified only as Nabeeha and five of her sisters who were kidnapped by kidnappers in their house in Abuja on January 2, 2024.

In the early hours of Wednesday, January 3, 2024, an X user, Adamu_Asiya_, who identified herself as a cousin to the kidnapped sisters announced the kidnap, noting that her uncle was killed in the process. She said, “Please pray for my sisters and uncle when you see this. Nabeeha, her sisters, and her dad were kidnapped in their house last night. We lost an uncle in the process. Your duas are needed.”

Two days after her first tweet, she informed the public that the father of the girls was released by the kidnappers with a ransom of N60m placed on the lives of the Najeebah and her sisters with a deadline given.

After her tweet, the hashtag, #NabeehaAndhersisters was created to raise the N60m demanded by the kidnappers. However, in the early hours of Saturday, the cousin of the kidnapped sisters, Asiya, came on X to announce that one of the sisters, Nabeeha had been killed by the kidnappers after failing to meet the deadline for payment of the ransom given to the father, raising the ransom to N100m

She posted, “Innalillahi wa Inna ilaihi rajiun😭😭😭
Please put Nabeeha in your prayers.
May Allah grant her Al-Jannatul Firdaus🤲🏾
They killed her…”

Following the death of Nabeeha, there was an outrage on social media with Netizens demanding the police and Nigerian government act immediately to ensure the release of the sisters,

Former media aide to Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd.), Bashir Ahmad, on his official X handle posted, “I join fellow concerned Nigerians in urgently calling on the @PoliceNG through its PPRO @PrinceMoye1 to acknowledge and respond to the unfortunate incident involving the kidnapping of Najeebah and five of her sisters #NabeehaAndHerSisters more than a week ago. The information shared by a family member @Adamu_Asiya_ this morning indicated that the kidnappers have tragically killed Najeebah as a warning and demanded a N100 million ransom for the release of the remaining victims.

We implore the Nigeria Police to prioritise this case and deploy all necessary resources to safely rescue the remaining victims.

Thank you!”

An X user, hayateey1, posted, “As an average Nigerian if you have refused to lend your voice for the rescue of Late Nabeeha's 5 other sisters, know that you are no different from the government and security operatives you always call out and castigate. Insecurity affects all of us directly or indirectly! Let that sink in!”

Another X user, KawuGarba posted, “If we keep quiet, this insecurity will consume all of us.

“The innocent girl Nabeeha executed by armed bandits terrorists could be any of us.

“FUGUS girls have spent almost 4 months in captivity, with no explanation and the media is silent about them.”

Adedayo_agarau posted, “What else do Nigerians in Nigeria have to do to be safe? They pay taxes. They pray. They go to work.

“Institutionalised criminal rings have been picking up innocent Nigerians and using them to get rich quickly or score political points. IT HAS TO STOP.”

@dansatty also posted, “People get kidnapped day-in day-out in a country that has a government? Where are the security operatives saddled with the responsibility of protecting the citizens? What is the president @officialABAT doing about all these? It is a stranger's turn today, it can be your turn or your loved ones' tomorrow. #Najeebahandhersisters”

@wizarab10 posted, “Hello @IretiKingibe. A father and his 6 daughters were kidnapped within the FCT. The dad was later released with a request to bring N60 million naira to secure his daughters' safety. Unable to meet the deadline, one was killed and others will follow suit if he doesn't meet their demands

“How do we secure the release of this man's daughters? Please, how do you intend to secure the lives of the citizenry within the Federal Capital? I need you to use your good office to help.”

Responding to an X user who alleged that the police have been silent on the incident, Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, stated that not all information must be addressed on X.

He said, “For your information, the police and other security agencies have been on the matter. Don't allege security operatives wrongly, rather you ask questions, and you will be guided and informed. Ask questions, and drop allegations or speculations. Peace!!!.”

In a subsequent post on X replying to Bashir Ahmad, Adejobi urged the family of the victims to work with the police on the matter.

He posted, “Pls let the family members or you relate with us codedly. Let them reach out to me on my personal line, and drop a msg there. We have been working on it, but we need some info. We will try our best possible to emplace all necessary measures to rescue them unhurt. But we need to get some info pls. Thanks.”