The arraignment of four individuals suspected of being involved in the abduction of lecturers and their children from the University of Abuja in 2021 faced a delay on Monday due to the start of the Federal High Court vacation. Despite being at the top of Justice Donatus Okorowo’s cause list, the case was rescheduled for May 13.
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Gunmen had stormed the UniAbuja staff quarters in Gwagwalada on November 2, 2021, taking six individuals, including Professor Joseph Adavani and Dr. Ferguson Tobins, hostage.
The kidnappers later demanded a ransom of N300 million from the victims’ families, contacting them the day after the abduction.
Fortunately, the Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT Command, DSP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the release of the victims on November 5, 2021.
She attributed this positive outcome to the collaborative efforts of the command and other security agencies, leading to the apprehension of some suspects connected to the crime.
The Federal Government, represented by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, filed a two-count criminal charge against the four suspects – Adamu Abubakar, Nura Muhammed Ahmadu, Ismailia Abubakar, and Abdulrahman Ado, also known as Yellow.
The charges, dated July 5, 2023, were officially filed on July 11, 2023, by David Kaswe, the Chief State Counsel in the Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation in the Federal Ministry of Justice, citing violations of Sections 15 and 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention)(Amendment) Act 2013.
