By: Adelowo Oladipo, Minna
Former Chairman of Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, (NSUBEB), Alhaji Alhassan Bawa Niworo, who was in the custody of Armed Bandits in Zamfara State for almost Nine months has attributed his release, last month from their base in the North Western subregion, as an Act of God, prayers of the people (both Christians and Muslims).
Alhassan Bawa, who was kidnapped on his way from his home town in Kainji, New Bussa, headquarters of Borgu local government Council of Niger State to Minna, 29th of September 2025, later secured his freedom after 225 days, languishing in captivity.
This is following his release on the 10th of May 2026, after paying the balance of N80m ransom demanded for his freedom, which was paid in installments and with the assistance of some good Samaritans after selling his House in Minna by his children to raise the ransom in order to secure his release unscathed.
Narrating his ordeal while speaking in an interview with Our Correspondent in Minna, Alhassan Niwero who was as also a former Chairman of Borgu Local Government Council, disclosed that it was on his way to Minna at about 1:30 pm, about 12 kilometres away to Zugurma, that he saw vehicles parked by the road sides, unknown to him they were Fulanis’ heavily armed in Police uniform.
According to him, as a farmer, he was to go to his farm that very week, but as a victim of circumstance, the State Director of Ward Development Projects scheduled a meeting via a telephone call on 26th of September asking him to attend the meeting concerning the disbursement of ward development funds.
“Many of us kidnapped, were first kept in Kainji National Park for one month before we were moved to Zamfara Forest through cattle routes for four days on motorcycles. We arrived at Zamfara Forest where many of us were kept in a Fulani hut, where we learnt a very horrible lesson and other side of life,” he added.
According to him, ”At Zamfara Forest, I was chained, tortured sometimes asked to do frog jump, threatened to slaughter me, giving me dates that if my sister mediating for me refused to bring the ₦150 million they demanded, I will be killed, this threat continued until relations, friends, Mosques and Churches in Kainji and its environs were able to present ₦80 Million for my release.”
Alhaji Alhassan Bawa, further explained that throughout his stay in captivity, he did not witness anyone being killed by the Bandits, but released people to their relations after presenting N10m or N5m along with one or two motorcycles.
He informed Our Correspondent what he witnessed in the forest, as Bandits communicated with the walkie talke freely in Nigeria’s air space and the authority cannot track their calls or locate their whereabouts.
He said, that faithful day, four of them, including one Barr Ahmed, a Permanent member of the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission, his driver and PA were kept in the same group, but Barr Ahmed is still held hostage after the death of his driver and release of his P A from Kainji National Park.
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