Kidnappers in Abuja seized a U.S. citizen’s widow, forced her to pay $2,000 and withdraw ₦200,000, and released her after a night-long ordeal now under police investigation
Mary Moore, widow of an American citizen, was abducted September 8 in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, while preparing for a U.S. immigration visa interview in Lagos. She told SaharaReporters she had gone to exchange about $2,000 before her evening flight when “someone passed by and hit me. Before I could react, another person threw a chemical substance on my face. I became unconscious and disoriented.”
Armed kidnappers forced Moore into a Toyota Sienna with other victims and moved them between Keffi in Nasarawa State and Abuja’s Kubwa district. Believing she was American after finding U.S.-labelled documents, they demanded dollars and repeatedly sprayed chemicals to keep her subdued. “They didn’t let me go near my phone again and sent messages to people on my contact list,” she said.
Moore ultimately surrendered the hidden cash and her captors withdrew ₦200,000 from her OPay account before releasing her September 9 with ₦30,000 transport fare. FCT police confirmed an anti-kidnapping investigation is underway.