National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has narrated how his family allegedly paid N175 million in ransom to secure the release of his nephew from kidnappers, despite his position in government at the time and access to senior security officials.
Baba-Ahmed, who served as Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Matters, made the disclosure during an interview with Trust TV, portions of which have been circulating widely on social media.
The former presidential aide said the victim, his late sister's son, was abducted alongside six others last year while travelling to a farm near Kachia in Kaduna State.
According to him, the group had hired police escorts for the trip but were overpowered and taken away by armed bandits.
"Last year, my nephew was kidnapped. My late sister's son, along with six other people. They went to a farm and had hired police to accompany them there, but they were kidnapped just a few miles outside Kaduna on the road to Kachia," Baba-Ahmed said.
He recalled that one of the victims attempted to escape shortly after the abduction but was shot dead by the kidnappers.
"They were at a location, perhaps a hotel or something similar, when bandits came during the night. One of them tried to run away. They chased him, shot him and dragged his body back so the others could see what would happen if they attempted to escape," he said.
The PRP chairman said the victims spent 36 days in captivity in a forest camp located only a short distance from where they were abducted.
He said that throughout the period, family members maintained daily communication with both the kidnappers and the victims as negotiations continued.
"At that time, I was Special Adviser to the President. I was working in the Villa. There was hardly anybody I could not speak to. We obtained the coordinates of where they were being held and handed them over. Every day for 36 days, we spoke with the bandits and we spoke with our nephew and two other victims," he said.
"We insisted on speaking with our nephew because we wanted proof that he was alive. Every day they would tell us their conditions and we would negotiate."
Baba-Ahmed said the kidnappers appeared to know details about his family and believed they could extract a substantial ransom because of his position in government.
"The very night they abducted him, they told him, 'Your uncle is an important person. He works in the Villa, so we are going to get a lot of money.' They also contacted my brother, Datti Baba-Ahmed," he said.
According to him, the kidnappers initially demanded N25 million, three motorcycles and various medications.
"The first demand was N25 million. We started looking for the money. They also wanted three motorcycles and a large quantity of drugs and medical supplies. They told us where to take them and we complied," he said.
Despite repeatedly sharing information with security agencies, Baba-Ahmed said no successful rescue operation was carried out.
"I could walk into offices and say, 'Please, this is my nephew.' People would say, 'Give us the coordinates.' We gave them the coordinates, but five, six, seven days would pass and nothing happened," he stated.
He revealed that the total cost of securing the victims' freedom eventually rose to N175 million.
"Between the day they were kidnapped and the day they were released, we spent N175 million. About N120 million of that was cash delivered in three separate batches," he said.
The former presidential adviser also made a controversial allegation involving military personnel during one of the ransom deliveries.
"We sent people to deliver the money because the bandits would provide directions. On one occasion, those carrying the ransom lost their way and encountered a military checkpoint. They told the soldiers they were going to deliver the money but had missed the route. The soldiers directed them to the correct location.
"The military personnel told them they were heading in the wrong direction and showed them the right way to go. I am sorry to say this, but there appears to be a system behind all this," he alleged.
Baba-Ahmed further claimed that his nephew's account after his release suggested the existence of a larger hierarchy within the kidnapping network.
"When he came back, we asked him what the kidnappers were doing with all the money. He told us that if money arrived at the camp around 6 p.m., by 9 p.m. senior figures would come and take almost everything away.
"They would leave behind only a little cash, some drugs and a few supplies. The kidnappers themselves would say they had bosses," he said.
The PRP chairman's account comes amid persistent concerns over the growing kidnapping-for-ransom industry in parts of northern Nigeria and renewed calls for stronger action against criminal gangs operating across the region.
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