07/12/2016
An employee of Dangote Industries Limited, Istifanus Bello, has been killed by suspected kidnappers.
It was learnt that Bello’s co**se was found in a gutter in Ogun State, adding that one of the kidnappers alerted a member of the public to where the co**se was.
Bello was believed to have been kidnapped three weeks ago, but news of his murder got to his family members on Monday.
Sources close to the family said that Bello was the company’s Human Resources Manager before his death.
It was learnt that on the day that he was kidnapped, the manager had gone with a team to pay ransom for the release of some
expatriates who had been kidnapped.
It was also learnt that on getting there, the kidnappers collected the money and abducted him.
A close friend, who pleaded not to be named, said Bello showed him some video recordings of his negotiations with kidnappers.
Speaking to sympathisers who visited her on Monday, Bello’s wife of 20 years, Amina, said the husband was the best, adding that he was a friend and father to their children.
She said: “Bello was a lovely person; if he was not in the house one day, the children would be asking after him endlessly. Now I do not know what to tell the children because he was always chatting with them on the social media. When he was abducted, the children asked me to tell them where he was because all his activities on social media ceased and the children said it was unlike him.
“On the 20th anniversary of our wedding, he told me that I was the best woman, adding that I was the only one who understood him. He has never for one day hurt me; he always said if I was not happy, he would not be happy.”
A source in the Dangote Industries, who confirmed the kidnap, however, reacted to the news of Bello’s murder with surprise.
When contacted, the firm’s Head of Media, Tony Chiejina, who said Bello was very close to him, also reacted with surprise to the news of his death.
Chiejina said that he would make some calls and get back.
He had yet to do so as of press time.
