Abducted Nigerian lawmaker regains freedom

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - The Nigerian federal lawmaker abducted late Tuesday has regained freedom a day after his abduction, according to a local news medium.

The Cable, an online news platform, quoted the lawmaker’s aide Tunde Adela to confirm the release late Wednesday.

Sources close to the lawmaker, who asked not to be named due to security reasons, also confirmed the development to Anadolu Agency. He said a huge sum of money was paid to get the parliamentarian released.

“The police were not contacted at all for reasons of his safety,” one of the sources, his worker, said.

Garba Durbunde, a ruling All Progressives Party lawmaker, represents Takai/Sumaila federal constituency of northwestern Kano state.

He was abducted at Jere area of northwestern Kaduna state as he was returning to Abuja after a visit to his constituency.

The abduction was one of the high-profile kidnappings recently recorded in Nigeria. Abductees often get released after ransoms are paid, except in few instances where such kidnapping resulted in death of the victims.

Last week, four students and a school principal were abducted in a Lagos government school. They are yet to be released.

Kidnapping carries death penalties across many Nigerian states because of its rampancy.