Abu Dhabi An Emirati man, who was kidnapped by a Nigerian gang for ransom in January this year, was successfully freed by the UAE Ministry of Interior, a statement by the ministry stated yesterday.
The victim, identified as Mohammad Khamis Majid, was held for Dh18.3 million ($5 million) ransom by members of a militia for the past two month, until when the operation led by officers at the ministry succeeded in freeing him on Monday.
“Our nation will always prevail over criminals, no matter what tools and methods the criminals employ,” said Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
Members of the gang were arrested in cooperation with the Nigerian authorities, while a UAE-based group which has collaborated with the gang through the operation was arrested. The number of suspects involved in the crime was not given by the ministry.
“Two teams, one in the UAE and the other in Nigeria, worked tirelessly throughout the process and maintained maximum level of coordination to complete the mission,” said Lieutenant General Abdul Aziz Al Sharifi, Director-General for Protective Security and Investigations.
“Majid Khamis, a resident in Umm Al Quwain, informed the authorities that his brother Mohammad Khamis did not return to the UAE as originally scheduled. Mohammad had left for Nigeria on a two-day visit to conclude a business deal, but his family lost contact with him,” he said.
“The brother received a letter demanding five million dollars for the safe return of Mohammad and threatening to kill him if the authorities were notified,” Al Sharifi said.
Network of associates
“Investigations revealed that the group, whose head was resident in Nigeria, targeted victims through a network of associates in various countries. Our team immediately began coordination with the Nigerian government to plan the release of the victims and capturing the criminals,” explained Al Sharifi.
Several members of the criminal ring were arrested in both countries, along with the head of the group.
The victim’s family received a call directly from Shaikh Saif to congratulate the family on the safe release of their son.
A private jet was dispatched to bring Mohammad home after he underwent a medical check-up following his release.
An official informed Gulf News that Nigerian residents in Abu Dhabi cooperated with the authorities to be a point of contact with the kidnappers.
The modus operandi of such gangs was to encourage targeted victims to travel to Nigeria for supposedly lucrative business deals and once they arrive d in the country the victims were kidnapped for ransom.
Al Sharifi warned people to exercise caution while travelling to countries exhibiting security risks, and to follow instructions of the embassy and other authorities. He also advised travellers to always inform someone trustworthy of their travel plans and whereabouts.
Several people have been kidnapped for ransom in the past many months. A Briton and an Italian were killed early this month.
