An 85-year-old man, Deh Idi Dakum, has reportedly been killed by hoodlums after being abducted from his village in Matelem, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
One of his sons, Bala Dakum, who spoke with our correspondent on Thursday, narrated that his father, who was Galadima Nyam in the Tagur District of Bokkos LGA, was kidnapped on November 18, 2024, at about 7 pm and was later found dead a few kilometres away from the compound, after his abductors demanded ransom from the family.
“On November 18, 2024, he was kidnapped at about 7 pm in our village (Matelem). His phone and that of my mother were taken away. My brother, Moses, kept calling his phone and eventually established contact with his abductors on November 19, 2024. The abductors demanded N2m ransom, and we paid N700,000, which we raised on November 20, 2024. Before paying the ransom, my brother (Moses), whom the family mandated to speak with them, requested to speak with my dad, but they claimed they left him with some of their men close to the village and went back to a place close to Daffo (also within Bokkos LGA. When my brother paid the ransom, they assured him they’d communicate with their gan,g whom they claimed my dad was in their custody, to drop him close to the village.
“My brother left hoping that my dad would return before daybreak, but to no avail. On November 21, he called the abductors, and they assured him that they’d release him. My dad did not return on November 21, 2024. On November 22, 2024, my brother called again but could not reach the abductors. On November 23, 2024, my brother called the abductors again, but this time, the abductor was hostile and asked my brother if he was taking him cheap. He said the ransom paid was inadequate and demanded more money. But we didn’t pay any ransom again because, at this time, we began to suspect that they were not being honest. A few hours later, at about 9 am, my dad’s dead body was found on a farm just about a kilometre away from the house where he was abducted. From the state of the body, he had been there for days”, he said.
According to Dakum, the abductors demanded a N2m ransom, out of which the family was able to raise and pay N700,000. He added that his late father had previously been kidnapped in February 2023 and was released after his family paid a N500,000 ransom, noting that during negotiations, the abductors seemed to know details about the family.
“On that occasion, we just exchanged him for the ransom. It was around 27 hours after the kidnap that they released him. We paid around N500,000. This time, they insisted on N2m but eventually, they accepted N700,000. In fact, they knew everything about us. They knew that I was staying in Abuja as a lawyer. They knew every other person. So, when they called, they would say your brother is this and that, that even he could pay the ransom money”, he said.
He further said that the family communicated the development with the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, Emmanuel Adeshina, who then sent the Divisional Police Officer to the house to condole with the family and assess the area.
Dakum also lamented the security situation at Matelem Village, noting that being on the border, the village was open to attack and had been attacked several times by hoodlums, adding that many people were relocating from the community in fear.
However, when TheNigerian Metro contacted the Police Public Relations Officer for the Plateau State Police Command, Alfred Alabo, he declined to respond to inquiries by our correspondent and ended the phone call.
