American Citizen, Widow more, was kidnapped , recounting her traumatic experience while she was planing to board an Air Peace flight from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to Murtala Muhammad Airport in Lagos on September 8 at 4:30 PM.
A widow of an American citizen, Mary Moore was kidnapped on September 8, 2025, in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, while preparing to travel to Lagos for a scheduled immigration visa interview with the United States consulate.
Moore discussed the traumatic experience exclusively to SaharaReporters on Thursday. She had planned to board an Air Peace flight from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to Murtala Muhammad Airport in Lagos on September 8 at 4:30 PM.
However, the flight was later rescheduled to 8:30 PM. Moore explained that she had travelled to Zone 3 to conduct a currency exchange, intending to convert around $2,000 in preparation for her trip and to have some cash for her stay in Lagos.
At exactly 5:30 PM, while attempting to call a Bolt taxi to take her to the airport, Moore’s phone network was poor due to bad weather.
Moore explained that she was approaches by an unknown man who tapped her on the shoulder, while she was held by another individual who sprayed a chemical substance on her face, while she was left unconscious.
she added that she was draggec into a Toyota sienna Car, which has already contained other victims. She described this incident has being ‘Hypnotised With Chemical Substance.
Moore told SaharaReporters that the armed kidnappers whisked her away to various locations, including Keffi in Nasarawa, a neighbouring state to Abuja.
She also explained that after losing her husband, she wanted to complete her visa process, so she went to Zone 3. She also planned to conduct some business in Lagos.She said,
“I went to Zone 3 to change money for the trip. I exchanged around $2,000, planning to get to the airport and change my clothes before boarding. I then started calling for boats to take me to the airport, but the network was bad. I decided to call my nephew instead.
“While I was on the phone with my nephew, someone passed by and hit me. Before I could react, another person threw a chemical substance on my face. I became unconscious and disoriented.
“While outside, trying to get a Bolt. Then a Sienna vehicle arrived, and I was taken inside. In the Sienna, there were other victims in the back, and I was last in the front seat. Before I realised it, I found myself in Keffi, in Nasarawa State. They sprayed more chemical on me.
At that moment, I started seeing my period. One of them said it was ‘for the women’s industry’ and then restrained me”
Meanwhile, during her captivity, the kidnappers believed she was American after discovering certain documents in her possession.
She was immediately separated from the other victims and held under strict supervision.
“They opened my bag and found an item labelled ‘Property of the United States Government – Do Not Open.’ When they saw it, they assumed I was American.
They told me they were going to collect dollars from me, but I denied being American,” she said.
“They returned my phone, so I called the agent who booked my ticket, Wumi, because she was the only person I knew. She informed my sister, and I asked her to inform my friend Deji as well.”
However, the kidnappers demanded a ransom, initially negotiating $2,000, the amount Moore had exchanged earlier that day.
She explained that she had no close relatives and only knew the travel agent who booked her ticket. Throughout the ordeal, Moore said the kidnappers subjected her to chemical sprays that left her hypnotised, and at times, she was completely unaware of her surroundings.
She recounted being forced to reveal the hidden cash she had in her bag, which temporarily appeased her captors.“They gave me some dignity after I paid them what they demanded,” she said.
She was separated from other victims and reportedly treated less violently, with the kidnappers focusing their attention on the others.
Moore recounted being moved across towns, including Kubwa, where kidnappers withdrew funds using her cards. While her visa documents remained untouched, her belongings were stolen.
Moore also described the kidnappers’ sophisticated operations, noting that they frequently moved victims across state lines, from Keffi to Abuja, and that the ringleader operates from within the capital.She stated,
“They didn’t let me go near my phone again and sent messages to people on my contact list, demanding dollars. They then took me to a room, provided pads for me, and made me change. They demanded dollars, unaware that I had hidden some in my bag.
I revealed the hidden dollars, and once they counted it, they calmed down.”Later, before I knew it, I found myself in Kubwa.
They were using chemicals, not any diabolical methods. They took me to a place to sleep and separated me from the others.”They were beating the people I saw, but they didn’t touch me. They were really focused on those others,” she said.
“When I gave them the money, they became soft toward me. They took me somewhere to rest, and I slept there,” Moore told SaharaReporters.
According to Moore, “early the next morning, around 4 o’clock, someone came and brought me out”.She narrated,
“They put me in a car, and I realised they were taking me somewhere. I slept in the back of the car. It was a normal, very clean car.”They took my bags and everything else, including my wig. But the bag that contained my visa documents was not touched.
“That was where I had placed the dollars I gave them. They returned the bag to me in my backpack, but everything else, like my bag, wig, and shoes, was taken.
“Then we arrived somewhere. I became more conscious and checked my phone. That’s when I realised it was being tracked, and I noticed that my iPhone was visible, which meant the police could see my location.
“I quickly sent my location to Wumi, the person who booked my ticket for me, not knowing they were tracking me.”Kidnappers Take Moore To Their Ringleader in AbujaShe said,
“I started hearing accents. I initially thought I was in Maraba because of the traffic and people talking, but before I knew it, I realised I was somewhere else, Kubwa.
“They took me to what they called their home. The man there started asking me questions. I was completely disoriented.”Moore told SaharaReporters that the ringleader checked her documents and questioned his gang, saying she was not an American as they had claimed.
“He said I was just going for an interview. They then decided to take me outside because they didn’t want to hear that I was on my period,” she recounted .
“Before I knew it, as they brought me out, they sprayed a chemical on my face, and I became disoriented. Later, I found myself elsewhere.”I was still carrying my knapsack on my back with no shoes, looking like a mad person, when I came out.
“Kidnappers Gave Moore ₦30,000 As transport Fare.Moore explained that they gave her N30,000 as a transport fare.”At that place, I had N200,000 in my OPay account. The pad they bought for me, they asked someone to go and buy it.
“When I came out, I was disoriented. The man told me the pad cost N50,000. The person had bought it for me.”He took me to a POS in Keffi, where we withdrew ₦50,000, which I handed over to him.”
He then said, ‘Okay, you have ₦150,000 left.”When asked why she didn’t raise an alarm at that point, she replied, “I couldn’t. I didn’t know what I was doing.”I felt hypnotised, like I was just following instructions without understanding.
“When I got to Kubwa, they withdrew the remaining N150,000 from my OPay account. They took me to another POS.
I gave the card to the guy, and I told him to withdraw N150,000. They deducted N3,000 in charges, and the man collected the money.
“On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Moore said her captors released her in Kubwa after she missed her US visa interview and gave her ₦30,000.
She said she reported the incident at Byazhin Police Station, where the DPO informed the FCT Anti-Kidnapping Squad.When asked if the police, having located where she was taken, were able to apprehend the perpetrators, she told SaharaReporters that the police said they were still working on it.
