Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
The family of Alhassan Bawa Niworo, a former chairman of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), has revealed harrowing details of his prolonged captivity after he was abducted by armed militants while travelling in Niger State, describing months of ransom demands, violence and financial ruin as they struggled to secure his freedom.
Speaking publicly about the ordeal, Niworo’s sister, Hajiya Kulu Niworo, said the family was forced to sell assets, take bank loans and gather money from relatives and friends to meet the demands of the kidnappers. According to her, the family initially raised ₦30 million to secure his release, only for the abductors to later increase their demands dramatically.
“We sold everything, took bank loans and paid ₦30 million. After that they demanded another ₦150 million,” she said, recounting the desperate negotiations with the kidnappers. “We had nothing left to eat. Every time they called, we pleaded with them in the name of Allah and the Prophet (S.A.W), yet they beat him and held a knife to his throat, threatening to kill him.”
Niworo, who is over 70 years old, was abducted on September 29, 2025, along the Mokwa–New Bussa Road in Niger State while travelling toward the state capital, Minna. Gunmen believed to be linked to insurgent or bandit networks blocked the road between the communities of Felegi and Ibi in Borgu Local Government Area, stopping vehicles and forcibly taking passengers into the surrounding forest.
Among those abducted during the roadside ambush were Niworo, a commissioner of the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission identified as Barrister Ahmad, and several traders returning from a weekly market in New Bussa. Witnesses said the attackers fired shots into the air to force motorists to stop before escorting their captives into the bush.
The kidnapping occurred in a region increasingly affected by overlapping security threats involving armed bandit groups, criminal kidnapping gangs and insurgent factions connected to extremist networks operating in northern Nigeria.
Family members said the kidnappers quickly opened negotiations after the abduction, demanding a large ransom for Niworo’s release. His son, Saifullahi Alhassan Bawa, later disclosed that the family struggled to gather the money demanded by the captors, eventually raising ₦30 million through multiple sources including loans, personal savings and contributions from friends and relatives.
Part of the money came from a ₦15 million bank loan, which the family took in desperation to complete the initial ransom payment. Other funds were raised through the sale of farm produce and personal property.
Despite paying the amount demanded, the kidnappers reportedly refused to release Niworo and instead raised their demand to an additional ₦120 million to ₦150 million before setting him free.
The sudden increase in ransom demands deepened the family’s crisis. Relatives said the payments had already exhausted their financial resources, leaving them unable to meet the new demand. According to the family, the abductors continued to call regularly, threatening to execute the elderly victim if the additional money was not delivered.
During some of the calls, Niworo himself was reportedly allowed to speak with family members. According to his son, the former education official was heard crying and begging relatives to understand his situation.
“He spoke with us in tears, asking us to understand his plight,” the son said in earlier remarks describing the emotional toll of the captivity.
The family also expressed serious concern about Niworo’s health. The elderly former official reportedly suffers from chronic medical conditions including hypertension and ulcer, requiring regular medication that was not readily available while he was being held in the forest camps used by the kidnappers.
Relatives said they feared the stress of captivity, combined with the lack of proper medical treatment, could severely endanger his life.
The ordeal also exposed the economic devastation that kidnappings often impose on victims’ families across northern Nigeria. Relatives said they had exhausted nearly all financial resources while attempting to negotiate for Niworo’s freedom, leaving them struggling to cover daily living expenses.
“We had nothing left to eat,” his sister said, describing how the extended negotiations with the kidnappers drained the family’s finances.
The family further appealed to authorities for assistance, saying that despite Niworo’s previous role as a senior government education official, they had received little direct support during the negotiations.
At the time of the abduction, Niworo’s vehicle and personal documents were reportedly recovered and kept at a police station in the area where the attack occurred.
Security officials in Niger State confirmed that joint operations involving police and military units were underway across the region in efforts to track down the kidnappers and rescue the victims. Authorities have repeatedly stated that security forces are conducting operations in forests and remote communities where armed groups are known to operate.
Stone Reporters note that the kidnapping reflects a wider pattern of escalating abductions across parts of northern and central Nigeria, where armed groups frequently target travellers on highways, students in schools and prominent individuals in rural communities.
The practice of ransom kidnapping has become a major source of funding for criminal networks and insurgent factions, with families often forced to negotiate directly with captors to secure the release of loved ones. In many cases, ransom demands rise even after initial payments are made, prolonging captivity and intensifying financial pressure on victims’ families.
For the Niworo family, the months-long ordeal illustrates both the brutality of the kidnappers and the desperation faced by families caught in Nigeria’s expanding kidnapping crisis.
Even as negotiations continued, relatives said their priority remained the safe return of the elderly former education official, whose life they fear remains in constant danger while in captivity.
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