Freed Emirati hostage reunited with family
An Emirati businessman returned home and reunited with his family in Umm Al Quwain after spending nearly two months in captivity in Nigeria before he was freed by a UAE force sent by the Ministry of Interior.
Mohammed Khamis Majid, 30, flew to Nigeria on January 19 to sign a $900,000 deal for building maintenance in the African country arranged by an Arab lawyer residing in the UAE. There he was paid $20,000 in advance and later called his mother to tell her he had arrived and was safe.
A few days later, Mohammed’s family could no longer reach him as his phone was turned off although he had told his wife and mother he would be late. Police in Umm Al Quwain later broke the sad news to his family that Mohammed was kidnapped by a Nigerian gang which demanded a $five-million ransom.
“I had asked my son not to travel to Nigeria but he told me he had to go there to sign the contract,” Umm Mohammed told Emirat Alyoum daily.
“Five days later, we received a letter and a video tape by courier showing some men pointing their guns at Mohammed who was blindfolded and sat on a chair…the captors said they seized Mohammed for a ransom of $five million…it was like a thunderbolt on our heads as my son travelled to Nigeria to sign a contract and there were some people waiting for him at the airport there.”
Umm Mohammed said she handed the letter and the film to the Umm Al Quwain police, adding the family later started to receive phone calls from one captor, who spoke good Arabic. After negotiations, the captors agreed to reduce the ransom to $100,000, which gave time to the Ministry of Interior to act.
The mother said the Ministry formed two teams to deal with the kidnapping and that one team flew to Nigeria to coordinate with the police there.
“We had not lost hope because the Ministry of Interior and Umm Al Quwain police were very concerned with this issue and were in continuous contact with us….on Monday, officials from the Ministry and some policemen from Umm Al Quwain came to our house and asked me to come with them to the police headquarters…there, they told me they have succeeded in freeing my son and assured me he was in a good health and unharmed.”
He said Mohammed phoned her on Tuesday and told her he was safe with the UAE ambassador next to him and would return home in two days.
“Mohammed’s mother, wife and all family members were delighted at his release and safe return…they expressed gratitude for Umm Al Quwain police, the Ministry of Interior and Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al Nahyan, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior for their efforts in freeing Mohammed.”