Bandits have released Kaduna judge Janet Gimba, who was abducted along with her four children on Sunday. However, the children are still being held by the bandits.
The judge’s husband, Dr. Musa Gimba, confirmed the release of his wife but said the bandits are demanding N150 million ransom for the release of their children within three days. They have threatened to kill the children if the ransom is not paid.
The Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan ASP, reported that the bandits killed the judge’s 14-year-old eldest son, Victor. His body was found at Ungwan Bayero, Duste village near the toll gate along the Kaduna-Abuja expressway on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
Hassan said the police and other security agencies are working tirelessly to rescue the remaining victims and arrest the terrorists.
Human rights lawyer and Chief Executive Officer of the House of Justice, Gloria Ballason, issued a statement on Wednesday detailing the abduction. She said the judge and her four children were kidnapped by about 15 bandits who demanded a huge ransom. Ballason described the murder of Victor as “grisly and blood-curdling,” adding, “No parent deserves the horror of watching their child being killed in such a cold, callous manner.”
Ballason called on Nigerian security agencies, the Governor of Kaduna State, the Nigeria Bar Association, and the judiciary to act urgently to protect the lives of the judge and her children and to ensure justice is served.
