Journalist Appeals to Security Agencies as Uncle Remains in Captivity for Three Weeks

A Nigerian journalist and publisher has called on security agencies to intervene in the abduction of his uncle and nine others, who have been held captive for three weeks by kidnappers demanding N100 million ransom.

Haruna Mohammed Salisu, publisher of WikkiTimes, made the appeal following the abduction of his uncle at Bashar District, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State on February 8. The victim’s name has been withheld at the family’s request due to the ongoing security situation.

Salisu’s appeal comes months after President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency, promising that there would be “no more hiding places for agents of evil.” The President had ordered security agencies “to match the forests and catch criminals” and approved the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, stating, “This is a national emergency, and we are responding.”

Despite these assurances, Salisu said his uncle has remained in captivity for three weeks.

Questioning the Security Emergency

In an interview with SaharaReporters, the WikkiTimes publisher questioned what the security emergency means for ordinary Nigerians.

“What exactly does a security emergency mean to a poor man in Nigeria who wakes before dawn, works until he cannot, and is asking for nothing more extraordinary than the right to return to his family at the end of the day?” he asked.

He added that the emergency declaration has brought no relief to his family. “I know what it means. It means nothing. It has meant nothing for the three weeks my uncle has been in captivity. My uncle and nine others are still in captivity.”

According to Salisu, the kidnappers initially appeared to tailor their demands to what they believed the family could afford. “They had done their surveillance — they always do,” he said. However, after holding the victims for weeks, “they changed their minds. They are now demanding N100 million.”

Ransom Demands and Economic Reality

Salisu described his uncle as “a poor man in the truest sense of that word,” stressing that he is neither politically connected nor wealthy. He said his uncle “asks the Nigerian state for nothing except the basic security that the 1999 Constitution defines as the primary purpose of government.”

Providing context to the ransom figure, he noted that at Nigeria’s current minimum wage of N70,000 per month, N100 million amounts to 119 years of earnings. He also cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicating that Nigerians paid approximately $1.42 billion in ransoms between May 2023 and April 2024.

Decision to Speak Out

The family initially chose to remain silent, fearing that publicity might increase the ransom demand, particularly because Salisu resides in the United States. “My being in America is not wealth. But perception is the currency of the kidnapping economy,” he explained.

However, the continued captivity of his uncle has compelled him to speak out and directly call on security institutions, including the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Office of the National Security Adviser to intervene.

“I am asking, publicly, on the record,” he said, expressing hope that intelligence within the system could help secure the victims’ release.

Salisu concluded that his appeal goes beyond his family’s ordeal. “My uncle deserves better than that verdict. So do the thousands of Nigerians waiting for an emergency that has not yet reached their forest.”

He urged authorities to act swiftly to secure the release of his uncle and the other captives.