Kaduna Teenager Dies Two Days After Regaining Freedom as Starvation Claims Multiple Hostages in Bandit Captivity

A 13-year-old girl, Hasana Bulus, has died just two days after she was released from seven months of captivity under bandits in Kaduna State, highlighting the deadly toll of starvation and neglect inflicted on hostages in Nigeria’s North-West.

Hasana was abducted on April 20, 2026, when heavily armed men attacked Awon village in Kachia Local Government Area, seizing 11 residents. She was freed on November 1 alongside four other survivors and taken to a hospital in Kachia, where she died on November 3.

The abductors initially demanded ₦300 million and 23 motorcycles for the release of the villagers, rejecting the community’s offer of several million naira and explicitly threatening to deny the captives food until the ransom was paid.

The ransom demand was later reduced to ₦9 million and four motorcycles, by which time several hostages had already perished from sickness and acute hunger.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the UK-based human rights organisation that documented the case, confirmed that five of the original 11 abductees died in captivity, including all the male hostages.

Among the dead were Joy Samuel, 33, who gave birth in captivity but lost her newborn baby, and Yusuf Bawa, who died alongside his five-year-old son.

A medical practitioner in his fifties, Dogara Maisamari, and two children, Gaius Yusuf, five, and Devine Sunday, seven, were also reported dead.

A community leader, Jethro Daniel, described the teenager’s ordeal in stark terms. “For seven long months, this little girl was held captive in the bush, enduring pain and horrors no 13-year-old should ever have to see, let alone live through,” he said. “She was finally freed on 2nd November and taken to a hospital in Kachia. On 3rd November, just a day after tasting freedom, she died”.

The release of Hasana and the other survivors reportedly followed the payment of three motorcycles, each costing more than ₦2 million, alongside recharge cards and drinks.

One of the original abductees had managed to escape earlier, while the five survivors released alongside Hasana were identified as Hanatu Yusuf, 52, Celina Maichibi, 46, Faith Kefas, 14, and Sylvia Samuel, four.

CSW CEO Scot Bower extended condolences to Hasana’s family and renewed calls for authorities to protect vulnerable communities and secure the release of those still held hostage.

“CSW extends heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Hasana Bulus, who was taken from them over six months ago, then returned, only to tragically pass away,” he said.

The tragedy unfolded just a day before another reported attack on the nearby Akwando community, where two people were killed and 20 others abducted, including women and children. The youngest abductee was reportedly four months old.

For Hasana’s family, the long-awaited reunion ended in another loss, as the teenager succumbed to the effects of her captivity barely 48 hours after returning home.