The killing of Nebeeha Al-Kadriyar, one of the six sisters abducted by bandits on January 9, 2024, has sparked rage across Nigeria as Nigerians pressure government to take drastic actions to save the remaining girls.
Nebeeha and her siblings (five other sisters), including her father were abducted in Abuja by unknown gunmen.
The sad news was shared by one Adamu Asiya a cousin to the kidnapped girls on her twitter handle, where she also claimed that the abductors killed the girls uncle during the kidnapping.
According to her post: “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,” she tweeted.
Whilst the gunmen demanded the sum of N60 million as ransom, they let their father to go and gave him ultimatum to raise the money before his daughters will be released.
The incident elicited a fundraising campaign for the Al-Kadriyar to help in the release of the girls. Unfortunately, much funds was not raised to meet the demand of the gunmen who resulted to killing Nebeeha to prove to the family that they mean business.
Sadly, Nebeeha who is the eldest of sisters was killed and her body dumped for the family.
Confirming the incident on the night of Saturday, January 13, 2024, Isa Ali Pantami, the former Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, said he had spoken with the father of Nabeeha over the remaining kidnapped girls.
“Inna lil Laahi wa inna ilaiHi Raajiun! I just read about the killing of our daughter Najeeba (400 level, ABU). I also spoke with her father about the remaining 5 of our kidnapped daughters. May Allah forgive her, rescue others & bring absolute peace to Nigeria,” he said in a post on his X handle.
Following the ugly turn of events, Nigerians on social media are demanding urgent action from the police and the Federal Government to ensure the safe release of Nabeeha’s sisters and save the family from further anguish.
Leading the call, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, while expressing sadness over the incident, said Nabeeha’s death shows that kidnappers and other criminals were operating in the country unhindered.
He said this in a reaction post on his X account, where he also called on the government to rejig the nation’s security architecture to halt the free rein of criminals and assure the safety of the citizens.
“I am saddened by reports of the brutal murder of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, who was abducted with her siblings and has been in the custody of their abductors for almost two weeks.
“This is yet another reminder that kidnappers and bandits are operating unhindered in our country.
“The security architecture needs to be rejigged to the extent that it stems from the free rein of criminal elements and guarantees the safety of lives and property.
“The security agencies should step up action to rescue the rest who are still in the custody of the kidnappers”, Atiku wrote.
Bashir Ahmad, former media aide to the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, called on the Nigerian police to prioritise the case and deploy all necessary resources to bring the girls home.
“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,” his post on X partly read.
For his part, @dansatty said, “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.”
