PESHAWAR, March 19: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday dismissed bail petition of three brothers charged with kidnapping two Nigerians from Islamabad for ransom.

The court presided over by Shamsher Ali Khan observed that keeping in view the evidence on record the three accused -- Mustapha, Abdur Rehman and Ijaz -- did not deserve to be released on bail.

The accused were arrested by the local police on Feb 1 during a raid on a residence at Regi area in the outskirts of the provincial capital. The police had also recovered the two abducted Nigerians, Mr Kenechuwu and his sister, Ms Miriam, from that premises.

The kidnapped persons claimed that they were traders and had often been visiting Pakistan for purchasing cloth. They were allegedly kidnapped from sector G-10, Islamabad on Oct 7, 2007. They claimed that the kidnappers were demanding US$100,000 from them for their release.

The kidnappers allegedly tortured them and kept chained throughout their captivity. Both had been in chains at the time of their recovery, which caused swelling of their hands and legs.

The public prosecutor, Jehanzeb Khan, contended that the accused were arrested red-handed and the kidnapped persons had also identified them. He added that they were charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which was a non-bailable offence.