Nigerian police successfully free sisters who were abducted in Bwari; three people are killed in the kidnapper ambush.

The Nigerian army and police conducted a successful joint operation that resulted in the release of the five sisters who were abducted in Abuja earlier this month. The adolescent prisoners were liberated at roughly 23:30 local time on Saturday night after an audacious rescue operation in Kaduna State’s Kajuru jungle.

The six sisters, who ranged in age from early teens to 23 years old, and their father, Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, were kidnapped from their Bwari, an Abuja suburb, house on January 2. That was the start of the experience. Sadly, after her father was freed on the condition that he pay a sizable ransom, one of the sisters, Nabeeha, 21, was murdered by the kidnappers as a warning.

The uncle of the children, who had called for assistance, and three police officers who had tried to step in were killed as the crisis worsened. The police statement did not clarify whether the ransom demanded by the kidnappers was paid.

In Nigeria, kidnappings have increased dramatically, especially by criminal groups looking to make money. The case of the Al-Kadriyar sisters provoked a great deal of resentment and rekindled doubts about the government’s capacity to handle the abduction situation.

First Lady Remi Tinubu urged the Al-Kadriyar sisters to come home as soon as possible and urged security services to step up efforts to resolve the security situation. A crowdsourcing campaign was sparked by the 65 million naira ($68,000; £53,000) ransom demanded for their release.

Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, the minister of defence, issued a warning against paying the ransom and emphasised the need to disrupt the payment cycle in order to reduce the financial benefit of abduction. Although it is illegal in Nigeria to pay ransom, many victims feel pressured to do so because they don’t trust the government to secure the release of their loved ones.

The event has sparked worries about the security situation in the nation’s capital, leading Abuja police to establish a special unit tasked with combating kidnapping gangs. Minister Abubakar said that actions against the gangs in other places have compelled them to relocate closer to the capital, reiterating the security agencies’ commitment to neutralising the threat.

Although the successful rescue is a noteworthy development, the event highlights the continued difficulties Nigeria confronts in addressing the widespread problem of kidnappings.