Bandits have killed an Abuja-based businessman, Muhammad Shuaibu, and his 19-year-old daughter, Fatima, despite the family paying a total ransom of N12 million.
Fatima was a student at the University of Abuja, while her father traded at Dei-Dei Modern Market in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The victims were abducted on October 3, 2025, when heavily armed men stormed their home in Zhidu community, Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State. According to a family member who spoke anonymously, the kidnappers rounded up the household at night and took Shuaibu and his two daughters into the bush.
The kidnappers demanded ransom in installments. The family initially paid N6 million, followed by N4 million, and finally N2 million, totaling N12 million. Despite these payments, the kidnappers reportedly killed Fatima about three months ago, accusing her of being “stubborn.”
After the last installment was delivered, the kidnappers instructed the ransom bearer to leave, claiming Shuaibu had died in captivity from illness.
The family sold most of Shuaibu’s assets in an attempt to meet the ransom demands, including his shop at Dei-Dei Modern Market, his private car, and a sachet water production machine. They were unable to sell his house.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Niger State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to their spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, went unanswered.
