Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from DW Amharic and is intended solely for information purposes.
DW Amharic - An Abduction Victim Whose Life Was Not Saved After Paying Ransom in Kemise
June 15, 2024
A father of an abduction victim, “What do the abductors want? When we asked this to our captive child, he told us they wanted 2 million birr in ransom money, we argued and later reached an agreement of 500,000 birr, they threatened me saying they would kill my son if I disagreed, they threatened me, I said I will give you 500,000 birr so you can spare and not kill my son.”
Last Sunday night in Kemise town of the Oromo administration in Amhara Region, unknown militants abducted a young person asking for ransom payment as described by a father whose child was killed named Ato Adem Mehamed who is considered an “Aba Buku” in Wollo. “Sunday night I realized there was a problem when the child didn't come home, afterwards we spent the night searching, we traveled to the police station as the situation was new to us and we are confused as to what to do, the child called Monday morning and told us he was being held captive by people he didn't know.”
Ato Adem said he was not aware of how many captors there were but that he heard when they asked for ransom money in Amharic and in Afan Oromo, he said they first demanded a ransom of 2 million birr after which they agreed on 500,000 birr.
“What do the abductors want? When we asked this to our captive child, he told us they wanted 2 million birr in ransom money, we argued and later reached an agreement of 500,000 birr, they threatened me saying they would kill my son if I disagreed, they threatened me, I said I will give you 500,000 birr so you can spare and not kill my son.” The father expressed this while in a saddened state. Ato Adem said after the abductors received the agreed amount of money, they killed his son last Wednesday and yesterday his body was found 7-km from Kemise.
“After they received the money they blocked my calls, until today I would look at my door hoping to see my son return, I cannot sleep, on Wednesday night we learned that they killed him, yesterday his body was discovered near Kemise in a place called ‘Kilae’ located 7-km from Kemise, this is where they dropped his body which we found yesterday.”
He was a young man who drove a three-wheeled vehicle (bajaj), was in his 30s, a father of one child, and he previously went to Saudi Arabia to try to improve his life, explains the father. Ato Adem says the captors took the young man away under pretense of fulfilling a contract payment. “My son was a bajaj driver, they asked for a contract before they took him, he had one child, in between…he had traveled to Saudi Arabia to work.”
Efforts were made to contact the personal number of the zonal administrator Ato Ahmed Ali regarding the matter and to receive additional information, though we sent a brief text message we did not receive a response, similarly the zonal administration peace and security division coordinating head Ato Mohamed was contacted to which he said “wait and call again” after which we called again and sent another brief text message but did not receive a response.
Alemnew Mekonnen
Yohannes Gebreegziabher