Abuja, Nigeria — A widow of an American citizen, Mary Moore, has recounted her harrowing ordeal after being abducted in Abuja while preparing to travel for a U.S. immigration visa interview. The incident occurred on September 8, 2025, in Wuse Zone 3, where Moore had gone to exchange currency ahead of her scheduled Air Peace flight from Abuja to Lagos.
According to Moore, her original 4:30 PM flight had been rescheduled to 8:30 PM, leaving her time to run errands. At about 5:30 PM, while attempting to book a ride-hailing service to the airport, she was attacked. An unidentified man tapped her on the shoulder while another sprayed a chemical substance on her face, leaving her disoriented. She was then forced into a Toyota Sienna already carrying other victims.
Moore revealed that the kidnappers moved her between different locations, including Keffi in Nasarawa State and later Kubwa in Abuja, frequently spraying chemicals that left her hypnotised and compliant. During the abduction, her captors discovered documents in her possession bearing U.S. government markings and mistakenly assumed she was an American citizen. They demanded a ransom of $2,000, the same amount she had exchanged earlier that day.
“They told me they were going to collect dollars from me. I denied being American, but they had already separated me from other victims and were monitoring me closely,” she said.
She disclosed that her kidnappers forced her to hand over the cash she had hidden in her bag, and subsequently withdrew additional funds from her OPay account through point-of-sale operators in Kubwa. Moore alleged that her belongings, including her shoes and wig, were stolen, though her visa documents were returned.
Despite the brutality inflicted on other victims, Moore said she was spared physical assault. Instead, the kidnappers repeatedly used chemical sprays to subdue her and eventually released her after she missed her visa interview. Before her release, she was given ₦30,000 as transport fare but was coerced into handing over more funds from her account, including ₦50,000 allegedly for sanitary items they purchased on her behalf.
On September 9, 2025, she was dropped off in Kubwa, dazed and without most of her belongings. She immediately reported the matter at Byazhin Police Station, from where the case was referred to the FCT Anti-Kidnapping Squad.
Moore’s account underscores the growing insecurity in Abuja, particularly in areas like Zone 3 and Kubwa that have witnessed recurring cases of abduction. The police have confirmed her report but indicated that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.
Her ordeal, which lasted overnight, highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods used by kidnapping gangs, including the use of chemical substances and coordinated movements across state lines.
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