The bandits stormed the residence of the judge at night on June 23, when her husband, a medical doctor, was away on duty
By Kehinde Okeowo
Suspected bandits have asked for N300m ransom to free a female judge they abducted in Kaduna State after killing her eldest son.
The judge and her four sons were reportedly kidnapped at their residence in the Mahuta area of the state on June 23.
An eye witness recalled that the bandits, numbering up to 15, stormed the residence of the judge at night when her husband, Dr. Musa Gimba Dutse, a medical doctor, was away on duty.
However, while giving an update on the abduction in a statement issued on Wednesday, a human rights lawyer, Gloria Ballason, confirmed that the judge’s abductors killed her 14-year-old son identified as Victor Gimba in captivity on July 2.
She also disclosed that the kidnappers have threatened to kill the judge and her remaining sons if their ransom was not paid.
The statement read, “The abductors, reported to have been about 15, took their captives hostage and demanded a huge sum as ransom.
“On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the terrorists shot dead Victor Gimba, the first child of the judge, when the ransom demanded could not be obtained.”
She further called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and security agencies to take urgent action and ensure the judge and her children are rescued.
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Similarly, the state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) issued a statement condemning the incident, while urging the security agencies to rise to the occasion.
NMA’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Shuaibu Joga, expressed shock that the first son was killed to force payment of the said sum.
He said, “Following the incident, we visited the husband and interacted with him and he informed us that the kidnappers had made a demand of N300 million to secure their release.
“While the security agencies had been informed and negotiations with the kidnappers were ongoing, we received the shocking news today that the first son was killed to force payment of the said sum.
“In response, we are calling for an emergency SEC meeting today and a press conference to further call on the authorities to expedite action on securing their immediate release and also the release of our other doctor kidnapped 6 months ago.”
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the state government or the state police command.
