A 21-year-old student of the Federal University Gusau, Zarah Abubakar Shehu, has died in captivity four months after she was kidnapped alongside her two siblings.
Zarah was abducted from her home in the Damba area of Gusau in the early hours of November 3, 2024. Armed bandits stormed the residence and took her and her siblings, leading to months of negotiations and efforts to secure their release.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert focused on the Lake Chad region, shared the tragic news on his X handle. He noted that the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N35 million but later agreed to accept N10 million after negotiations.
However, despite receiving the ransom, the abductors refused to release Zarah and her siblings. Instead, they made additional demands, insisting on four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil before setting them free. The family and those involved in the negotiations worked tirelessly to meet these new demands, hoping to bring Zarah home safely.
Unfortunately, after securing the requested items, the kidnappers’ leader was contacted. He then reached out to his men, only to be informed that Zarah had already died and had been buried two days earlier. The devastating news came as a shock to her family, who had been holding on to hope for her safe return.
Zarah, the only daughter of her mother, endured four months in captivity before her untimely death.
