Student Abducted In Zamfara Dies In Captivity Despite Ransom Payment

A 21-year-old student of the Federal University Gusau, Zarah Abubakar Shehu, has died in captivity four months after she was abducted alongside her two siblings.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert focused on the Lake Chad region, disclosed this on Sunday in a post on his X handle.

Zarah, a 300-level student, was taken from her home in the Damba area of Gusau in the early hours of Sunday, November 3, 2024, by armed bandits.

Makama stated that the kidnappers initially demanded N35 million for their release, but after negotiations, they agreed to accept N10 million.

However, after receiving the ransom, the abductors refused to release Zarah, instead demanding four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil before setting them free.

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 had been buried two days earlier.

The deceased, the only daughter of her mother, had spent four months in captivity before her untimely death.