Abducted FCT School Principal And His Daughter Regain Freedom After N3.1m Ransom Payment

 

Zakari Abdulkadir Yelwa, the abducted principal of the Junior Secondary School (JSS), Naharati in Abaji Area Council of the FCT has regained his freedom alongside his daughter, Hafsat Dauda.

 

They were abducted after k!dnappers invaded their residence opposite the Government Science Technical College (GSTC), Abaji last Tuesday night, October 21, and whisked them away.

 

The principal’s wife, Mrs. Rakiya Zakari Yelwa, was ordered to return home by the kidnappers when she could not walk fast.

 

The principal, while narrating his experience to Daily Trust at his residence on Sunday, October 25, said he and his daughter were freed on Saturday night after paying a N3.1 million ransom.

 

He said life in the kidnappers’ den was like “hell,” and he prays that no one experiences such trauma. 

 

The principal said he and his daughter trekked through the forest throughout the night until they arrived at the kidnappers’ camp

 

“On that very night, we walked throughout the night till dawn. As the morning set in, they kept us in a valley until it was getting dark again before we continued trekking until we arrived at their camp,” he said. 

 

According to him, his abductors fed him and his daughter with garri and yam, which, he said, they harvested from some people’s farms near the camp.

 

He said the kidnappers used pieces of cloth to cover their faces until they were freed around 6:45 pm on Saturday at a forest that borders Toto LGA of Nasarawa and Kogi states.

 

He added that apart from the N3.1 million cash ransom, the kidnappers also collected two cartons of malt, one carton of milk, bread, and some packets of cigarettes

 

The principal thanked his colleagues, friends, and family members for their support and prayers.

 

He also commended the vigilantes for their swift response during the attack at his residence.