Bandits free kidnapped Kaduna judge’s children

• Published On: 09 July 2024 at 20:01

After 15 days in the kidnappers' cave, the children of Kaduna Judge Janet Gimba were liberated by bandits.

Our journalist could not immediately determine whether the N150 million ransom sought by the bandits had been paid.

There was no formal confirmation from either the state administration or the Nigerian Police State Command.

However, Godwin Ochai, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association's Kaduna Branch, confirmed the children's release on Tuesday.

Ochai thanked God "and everyone who stood by the family throughout the trying time."

As of the time of drafting this story, details on their release remained hazy.

Mansir Hassan, ASP, Public Relations Officer for the State Police Command, stated that the hoodlums murdered the judge's 14-year-old eldest son, Victor.

He stated that on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, operatives discovered Victor's corpse at Ungwan Bayero, Duste village, near the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.

The police official stated that in the aftermath of the event, the command and other sister security agencies were working feverishly to rescue the victims and apprehend the terrorists.

Gloria Ballason, a human rights lawyer and the House of Justice's Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement on Wednesday that the judge and her four children were kidnapped by bandits on Sunday.

"The abductors, estimated to be around 15, kidnapped their prisoners and demanded a large ransom.

"On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the terrorists shot dead the 14-year-old first son of the judge when the ransom demanded could not be obtained," Ballason, a human rights lawyer, stated.

Ballason described the murder of Victor, the Judge's 14-year-old son, as "grisly and blood-curdling," claiming that no parent deserved to witness their child's death in such a cold, callous manner.

She had urged Nigerian security forces, the Governor of Kaduna State, the Nigeria Bar Association, and the judiciary to recognize the gravity of the situation and act quickly to safeguard the judge and her children while also ensuring justice was served.