BUJUMBURA, April 3rd (ABP) –Burundi’s national police apprehended, on the 29th day of last month, two people, one a student of Congolese nationality and the other a Burundian, who had faked an abduction followed by torture, with a view to tarnishing Burundi’s image.
Daniel Bahati was born in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He is studying civil engineering at Hope Africa University in Bujumbura Mayorship. His father is Jean Bosco Bahati and his mother is Sarah Nyerere. The Burundian is Pascal Ndayizigamiye, who lives in the Kamenge zone of Bujumbura Mayorship.
In a press briefing held on Monday 1 April 2025 in Bujumbura, Pierre Nkurikiye, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security, pointed out that the video that had circulated on social networks prior to 29 March that year referred to cases of abduction and torture allegedly committed in Bujumbura Mayorship.
In the video,” described Nkurikiye, “one person is tied up behind his back and lying on his lower abdomen. The second person is stamping on the first with a machete in his hand. The first person was the Congolese Bahati, while the second was the Burundian Ndayizigamiye,” he explained.
Those two individuals sent the video they had made to the father of the Congolese man, the victim of the swindle. In the video, they demanded that Bahati’s parents immediately send US dollars 10,000 for his release. “He said he had been kidnapped by unknown people. So, the father had to send the money quickly, otherwise his child would be murdered,” said Nkurikiye.
With that in mind, he continued, the police immediately investigated and arrested the two people, who are accused of undermining the internal security of the State by tarnishing Burundi’s image, as well as scam.
The spokesman for the ministry in charge of public security announced that the preparation of their file had been completed. “The case will be transferred to the public prosecutor’s office for further legal proceedings,” he said.
Nkurikiye took the opportunity to inform both national and international opinion that crime often changes form in Burundi. Therefore, he called upon the people to remain highly vigilant when encountering audio or video messages shared on social media, particularly those alleging instances of crime. “There are always people who continue to edit video and audio for personal gain, or who do so to tarnish the image of Burundi and its institutions,” he revealed.
He urged the public to immediately report any suspicious images or audio to the relevant investigative authorities, enabling them to verify their authenticity and determine if they are genuine or manipulated content.