Bandits Demand N300m To Free Kaduna Judge, Kill Eldest Son

Bandits have killed the eldest son of a judge of the Kaduna State Customary Court, identified as Janet Galadima, while demanding N300m ransom to free the judge and her three other children still being held.

The Chief Executive Officer of the House of Justice, Gloria Ballason, in a statement on Wednesday, said the judge and her four children were kidnapped by the bandits on Sunday.

According to Ballason, the bandits invaded the judge’s home on the night of Sunday while her medical doctor husband was away on duty.

Ballason said, “The abductors, reported to have been about 15, took their captives hostage and demanded a huge sum as 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, condemned the attack on the judge and her family, saying it ran contrary to Article 7 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary and Section 33 and 14 (2)b of the 1999 Constitution that guarantees the safety of judges.

Ballason described the murder of Victor, the 14-year-old son of the judge as “grisly and blood curdling,” stating that no parent deserved the horror of watching their child being killed in such a cold, callous manner.

She called on the Nigerian security agencies, the Governor of Kaduna state, the Nigeria Bar Association and the judiciary to rise to the urgency of the moment for the protection of the lives of Justice Galadima and her children and to ensure justice was served.