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When Malam Bashar Sani, a senior staff member of the College of Education, Maru, Zamfara State, was abducted by bandits on December 22, 2025, alongside his wife, Rashida Bashar, neither his family nor members of his community imagined it would be his last public appearance.
Sani, director of the Management Information System unit of the college, was killed by the bandits after his family raised a ransom of N20 million, three motorcycles, and N150,000 worth of call cards.
Confirming the incident to Daily Trust, his younger brother, Hassan Sani, said Bashar spent 42 days in captivity before the family could pay the ransom, but it was all in vain.
“Bashar was abducted alongside Rashida and 14 other women, and he was the only male among the kidnapped victims. He was also the only one killed. According to the women, Bashar was beaten severely by the bandits.
“He had a fractured leg and multiple injuries and eventually died while in captivity. He died before the ransom was paid, but they did not inform us. We only learned of his death after the women were released in February,” Hassan said.
Hassan, himself a former kidnap victim, recalled that in 2022, the bandits had attacked Bashar’s residence and kidnapped his wives, Nafisa and Rashida, who were released after the family paid N2 million and N30,000 worth of call cards.
“That was the first incident. A few months later, the bandits returned to the community and attacked my house. I hid, and the bandits asked my wife about my whereabouts. She said I had travelled, so they left. Realising the danger, my brother and I relocated; I moved to Maru city, while he went to Sabon Birni community,” he said.
Hassan narrated further: “The bandits later invaded Yan 4 community and kidnapped me at the Emir’s palace. We paid N3.5 million ransom for my release after 62 days in captivity. During the attacks, they killed the first wife of a police officer and kidnapped his sons and second wife.”
Hassan explained how the bandits demanded N20 million, a Honda motorcycle, call cards of N200,000, and four smartphones.
“He spent 42 days with the bandits before succumbing to torture and a fractured leg. Even after meeting all demands, they later demanded additional motorcycles, saying the ones used for operations were old. We continued raising money to meet their demands.
“They requested N150,000 in call cards and three 25-litre jerrycans of petrol to transport the kidnapped victims. After complying, they told us to go to Gidan Kano along the Talata Mafara – Sokoto road to collect our people. It was there we learned that Bashar and all other men had been killed, including a mentally challenged person. Bashar had died 42 days earlier. Though it is painful, his death is the happiest moment for us as Muslims because he passed with Shahada. His body was fresh and not decomposed,” Hassan said.
A close friend and member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, Maru area council, Ustaz Ibrahim Hamida, said the family suffered immensely. He added that the bandits’ demands were huge because Bashar was kidnapped alongside the family of a police officer, Hussaini Bagega, among others.
Ustaz Ibrahim described Bashar as a hardworking man and serious farmer. “He sold all his assets to meet ransom demands. He was the only strong person carrying the weight of his family’s responsibilities,” he said.
