A Nigerian journalist and publisher of Nigerian online newspaper, Daily Nigerian, Jaafar Jaafar, revealed on X on Wednesday that a friend’s family recently endured a harrowing ordeal to secure the release of a relation kidnapped by bandits.
He added that the family paid a ransom of N35 million in cash in addition to some other listed items demanded by the bandits.
The items included “6 brand new motorcycles (with full tanks), 4 cartons of whiskey, 10 packets of Tramadol, 1 bag of Indian hemp, 1 carton of Aspen cigarette, 12 bags of rice (50kg each) and 10 bags of maize (100kg each)”.
Other items still include “5 bags of beans (100kg each), one 25-litre jerry can of groundnut oil, one 25-litre jerry can of palm oil, 1 carton of seasoning, 10 packets of paracetamol and 10 packets of chloroquine”.
The family sought security clearance before setting out, but soldiers detained them midway.
They were later allowed to continue to the bandits’ location after a profiling process.
Jaafar Jaafar’s post also noted that security personnel, including soldiers, policemen, and customs officers, have also paid ransoms to secure the release of their kidnapped staff.
He said: “A friend yesterday narrated a painful story of how his family paid through their nose to secure the release of a relative from bandits. Apart from payment of N35m cash as ransom, they also delivered – as demanded – the following:
“Although they sought security clearance before they started the journey, soldiers detained them midway.
“They later allowed them to proceed to the bandits’ enclave after profiling. Well, even soldiers, police, and customs paid ransom to secure release of their kidnapped personnel.”