Military Colleagues Raise Ransom Secretly For Nigerian Army Major Abducted By Bandits For 17 Days
According to SaharaReporters, several friends and colleagues of Major Christopher Datong, who has been held captive by the bandits who invaded the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna State for 17 days, are frantically trying to free him, including raising a ransom.
According to SaharaReporters, Datong’s military allies are keeping their ransom efforts as clandestine as possible in order to avoid retaliation from the military authorities, who are still pursuing the clearly failed search-and-rescue option.
However, a senior military source told SaharaReporters that a ransom was being prepared among his Nigerian Army buddies to be paid to the bandits through religious negotiations.
On August 25, SaharaReporters said that after kidnapping Datong, the bandits approached military authorities and demanded a ransom of N200 million to release him.
According to SaharaReporters, the Nigerian Army and military aircraft searching for Major Datong are encountering difficulties.
“The plan is to get Datong out first by all means. I mean; all means. Chris’ friends are not quiet. A lot is going on underground. But you know the nature of the abduction is embarrassing. It involves a military officer; it involves a military establishment. Some of his friends want to pay money to get him out.
“The names and details with the money are secret. The family members are not involved so as not to implicate any officer. But efforts are on,” the source said.
The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, in an initial release by Maj Gen Benjamin Sawyer, the Director, Defence Information, had stated that a board of enquiry was looking at the breach of security at the NDA.
“Let me use this opportunity, to reiterate that the NDA authorities, acting on the directive of the Chief of Defence Staff has constituted a board of enquiry to ascertain the remote and immediate cause(s) of the breach of security with a view to sanction any personnel found culpable and also prevent future occurrence.
“Let me also assure that we shall continue to update the general public as events unfold as we are all aware the search and rescue of the abducted officer is still on. Troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria will continue with its operations to ensure all those involved in the dastardly act are brought to justice,” he had said.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Datong is still alive, according to a family source.
A family member of the officer had told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that contrary to reports, he had not been killed and he was still alive.
On September 2, the military high command had during a briefing refused to give details of the condition of the Major.
When asked on the whereabouts of the kidnapped Major at a press briefing at the Defence headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday, Brig Gen. Benard Onyeuko, acting director of Defence Media Operations, said the military would keep Nigerians posted.
“That has been over-flogged; we all know the actions taken so far. We will wait for the outcome of the panel set up and the board of enquiry; we will keep you posted on that,” he had said.
