Boko Haram Demands $500,000 Ransom for Abducted Judge’s Wife, Driver, and Orderly

Boko Haram terrorists have demanded a ransom of $500,000 for the release of the wife, police orderly, and driver of Justice Haruna Mshelia, a High Court judge in Borno State.

A family source said that the terrorists rejected an initial offer of $50,000, insisting on the full amount before releasing the remaining captives.

Justice Mshelia was abducted on June 24, 2024, along with his wife, Binta Othman—a magistrate at Wulari Court in Maiduguri—his orderly, and his driver.

The terrorists released Justice Mshelia on September 8 after a substantial ransom was paid, but only on the condition that he raises an additional $500,000 for his family’s release.

“We learned that the family managed to raise almost $50,000, but the insurgents turned down the offer, insisting on the full $500,000,” a source said.

When contacted for an update on the abducted police orderly, the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, requested more time to consult before making a statement.

Meanwhile, the Dean of the Technology Department at the Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB), Professor Abubakar Eljuma, remains in captivity. Sources from the university said the suspected Boko Haram terrorists who abducted him have yet to contact either the university or his family regarding his fate.

In a separate attack, suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked a police station in Malari, Konduga LGA of Borno State, on Wednesday, partially damaging an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).

The Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the attack, stating that the terrorists were met with superior firepower and fled with gunshot wounds. He noted that the attackers managed only to deflate the tires of the police APC in an attempt to damage vehicles and infrastructure in the area.