21-year-old University Student Dies in Kidnappers Custody Despite N10m Ransom Paid

The brutal reality of banditry in Zamfara State has once again been laid bare as Zarah Abubakar Shehu, a 21-year-old, 300-level student of Federal University Gusau, tragically died in captivity four months after her abduction, despite her family paying a N10 million ransom to secure her release.

Zarah was kidnapped alongside her two siblings on November 3, 2024, when armed bandits stormed her home in the Damba area of Gusau. Initially, the abductors demanded N35 million but later agreed to N10 million after negotiations. However, after receiving the payment, they refused to release her, instead making fresh demands for four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil as additional conditions for her freedom.

Security analyst Zagazola Makama, who confirmed the incident on his X handle, narrated the heartbreaking outcome: “After months of efforts to meet the demands, the items were finally secured. When the kidnappers’ leader was informed, he contacted his men, who then revealed that Zarah had already died and was buried two days earlier. The deceased, the only daughter of her mother, had spent four months in captivity before her untimely death.”

Zamfara remains one of the worst-hit states by banditry and mass kidnappings, with criminal gangs operating from deep forest hideouts across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger States. Despite efforts, including a peace deal initiated in 2019 under then-Governor Bello Matawalle (now Minister of State for Defence), attacks have persisted, leaving communities in fear.

Zarah’s tragic death adds to the growing list of innocent victims caught in the cycle of violence, ransom payments, and unfulfilled promises of safety.