Bandits Kill Abuja Businessman, 19-Year-Old UniAbuja Student Daughter After N12m Ransom Payment

A businessman based in Abuja, Muhammad Shuaibu, and his 19-year-old daughter, Fatima Muhammad, have been killed by bandits despite the payment of a N12 million ransom, family sources have said.

Fatima, a student at the University of Abuja, was reportedly killed about three months ago while negotiations for their release were still ongoing. According to a relative who requested anonymity, the abductors accused her of being “stubborn.”

Shuaibu, a trader at Dei-Dei Modern Market in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, was kidnapped alongside his two daughters on October 3, 2025. Armed men reportedly stormed their residence in Zhidu community in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State and took them into the bush.

The kidnappers demanded ransom in installments, which the family paid in three tranches: N6 million, N4 million, and a final N2 million, bringing the total to N12 million.

After the last payment, the abductors allegedly told the person who delivered the money to return home, claiming that Shuaibu had died in captivity following a serious illness.

To raise the ransom, the family sold the businessman’s shop at Dei-Dei Modern Market, his car, and a sachet water production machine. They were also asked to sell his house but could not find a buyer.

Police authorities in Niger State have yet to comment on the incident, as attempts to reach the command’s spokesperson were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.