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Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Gunmen believed to be kidnappers yesterday released a girl they abducted on December 29, 2019 as she and her mother drove out of their house on Umuocham road, Abayi, one of the suburbs of Aba, Abia State.
This is even as a businessman escaped from kidnappers in front of his house in Aba.
Mother and daughter were said to be going out in their Honda CR-V jeep on the fateful day before travelling to their village for the Christmas and New Year holidays, when they were double-crossed by four gun wielding men few metres from their house.
The gunmen, forced the woman and her daughter into their vehicle and drove off. However, the women reportedly jumped down from the moving vehicle, while the hoodlums sped off with her daughter.
The hoodlums later contacted the girl’s family and demanded a ransom of N20m.
On Thursday, the kidnappers were said to have contacted the girl’s father to inform him where he should pick his daughter up in one of the commercial city’s suburbs.
It was not clear whether any ransom was paid before the girl was freed as the father was said not to be eager to make any disclosure on this, based on the fact that he might have been threatened by the hoodlums.
When contacted on the freed girl, the state commissioner of police, Ene Okon said he was yet to be briefed by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Abayi division and as such could not say much on the incident.
However, a soldier attached to 144 battalion operational unit in Asa who would not want his name in print, confirmed the release of the girl. The soldier who claimed to be one of those trailing the abductors said the father of the girl refused to disclose if he paid any ransom before his daughter was released and how much he paid.
Investigations revealed that the Honda CR-V which the hoodlums made away with had been recovered where it was abandoned by the kidnappers.
