48 Hours Later: Police yet to rescue Ameerah, 16 alleged Abuja kidnap victims
By Paul Michael, Abuja
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies have failed to rescue kidnap victims, Ameerah Sufyan and 16 others about 48 hours after their abduction in Abuja.
The abduction of Ameerah and others became a public notice on Tuesday, 14th June 2022 after she alerted the public on Twitter that gunmen in police uniform have kidnapped 17 of them from different parts of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to her, two little kids and three pregnant women are among the victims, who were kidnapped from their homes. While saying her mobile phone was not seen by the kidnappers, she alerted all family members and friends with her WhatsApp contact to check their phones for a broadcast message of their location.
“Please, whoever has my WhatsApp number, I sent a broadcast message of my location, we were abducted at gun point by people in police uniforms and a van from our houses from different parts of Abuja. We’re 17 including 3 pregnant women and two little kids, they didn’t see my phone,” Ameerah tweeted.
It was gathered that Ameerah has encrypted a message to families and friends, indicating that they are being taken to Lagos in a green Nissan vehicle.
Despite sharing credible intelligence with her mobile phone, which can be tracked by security agencies, the Police and other Intelligence Agencies are yet to rescue the victims or make much effort to reassure
the public of the actions being taken by security agents to ensure the victims are rescued unhurt.
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Spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, while responding to incessant calls by citizens to rescue the victims, said on Wednesday that the Police is on top of the issue, adding that discoveries so far
are looking promising.
She also said close contact is being maintained with her family to speed up investigation.
“The FCT Police Command wishes to update the general public on the above as follows; The investigations & tactical apparatus on the case remain as discoveries are looking promising. Contact is maintained with her family to speed up the investigation,” she said.
Meanwhile, celebrated skirt maker, Debo Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, has called on the President of the federation, Muhammadu Buhari, and security agencies to find the victims of the abduction and rescue them from the hands of the criminal.
He said, “Yesterday (Tuesday), Ameerah sent a distress tweet that she and 16 others including 3 pregnant women and two little kids were abducted at gunpoint by people in police uniforms in Abuja! I call on the President and all security agents in Nigeria, please find them.”
However, there is concern being raised regarding the possibility of being able to communicate in a detailed manner through writing as Ameerah is doing when under the trauma of kidnappers.
More so, Jaafar Jaafar, a Journalist and Columnist has stated that nobody in Ameerah’s house or neighbourhood noticed any vehicle or persons around the house on the said date of the abduction. He alleged a case of “self-kidnap”.
“The alleged abduction of Ameerah Sufyan at Apo Resettlement Qtrs has raised so many questions. Internal police report shows no reported abduction of 15 other persons in FCT and nobody in her house or the neighbourhood noticed any vehicle or persons around the house.
“According to the report, it is almost impossible for a person in captivity to use his mobile phone, post across social media platforms, and sometimes reply without detection. Preliminary police report suspects ‘self-kidnap’,” Jaafar tweeted.
