Zarah Abubakar Shehu, 21-year-old and 300-level student of Federal University Gusau, died in captivity four months after being abducted by armed bandits in Zamfara State. Her death came even after her family paid a ₦10 million ransom to secure her freedom.
Zarah was kidnapped alongside her two siblings in the early hours of November 3, 2024, when gunmen stormed their home in the Damba area of Gusau, the state capital.
Kidnappers Refused to Release Zarah After Receiving Ransom
Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama broke the news on his X (formerly Twitter) account, revealing that the kidnappers initially demanded ₦35 million but later agreed to accept ₦10 million after negotiations.
However, despite collecting the money, the abductors refused to release Zarah and made new demands.
“After receiving the ransom, the kidnappers demanded four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil before they would release her,” Makama wrote.
Her family struggled to gather the required items, and after months of effort, they finally secured them. But when the leader of the kidnappers was informed that the conditions had been met, he contacted his men, only to receive devastating news.
“His men informed him that Zarah had already died and was buried two days earlier,” Makama revealed.
Zarah’s death has caused shock and grief among her family and the university community. Her untimely death is even more painful because she was the only daughter of her mother, who had held onto hope that she would return home alive.
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Zamfara’s Ongoing Security Crisis
Zamfara State has been one of the hardest-hit regions in Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, with bandits operating from dens deep inside forests. These criminal groups frequently raid villages, loot properties, kill residents, and burn homes, forcing many to flee their communities.
They have also been responsible for mass kidnappings of students, with some victims spending months or years in captivity.
Despite attempts to negotiate peace with these armed groups, attacks have continued. In 2019, then-Governor Bello Matawalle, now Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, granted amnesty to some bandits, hoping to restore peace. However, this effort largely failed, as communities in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger States continued to experience frequent attacks.
Growing Concerns Over Student Abductions
Zarah’s tragic death highlights the growing targeting of students by kidnappers. Schools in northern Nigeria have become hotspots for abductions, with hundreds of students taken hostage in recent years. Many families have had to sell properties, take loans, or rely on public donations to pay huge ransoms.
The Federal University Gusau community has mourned Zarah’s passing, calling on the government to do more to protect students and residents from such attacks.
A university lecturer said, “This is heartbreaking. No parent should have to pay ransom only to be told their child is dead.”
Zarah’s family and many in Zamfara are demanding justice, as well as stronger action from the government and security agencies to curb the rising cases of kidnappings and killings in the region.