A 21-year-old student of the Federal University Gusau, Zarah Abubakar Shehu, has tragically died in captivity four months after being abducted by terrorists in Zamfara State. Zarah, a 300-level student, was kidnapped alongside her two siblings in the early hours of November 3, 2024, when armed bandits attacked their home in the Damba area of Gusau.

Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama revealed that the kidnappers initially demanded N35 million for their release but later reduced the ransom to N10 million after negotiations. However, after collecting the ransom, the abductors refused to release Zarah, instead demanding four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil as additional conditions for her freedom.

Makama posted, “Tragedy struck in Zamfara State as Zarah Abubakar Shehu… died in captivity four months after she was abducted alongside her two siblings.” He added that after months of efforts to meet the demands, the items were finally secured, but the kidnappers revealed that Zarah had already died and was buried two days earlier.

Zamfara is one of the northern states grappling with violent criminal groups known as bandits, who raid villages, loot properties, kill residents, and set homes ablaze. These gangs operate from camps deep within a vast forest spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, and have been responsible for mass kidnappings of students in recent years.