Niger State ex-official shares harrowing 225-day captivity experience

Former Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) Chairman, Alhassan Niworo, has narrated his 225-day ordeal in the custody of armed bandits, saying he endured torture, threats of execution and prolonged negotiations before regaining his freedom in May.

Mr Niworo, who spoke with a group of journalists in Minna, said he was abducted on 29 September, 2025 while travelling from New Bussa, headquarters of Borgu Local Government Area, to Minna.

He said he was released on 10 May after spending more than eight months in captivity.

According to him, the attackers, dressed in police uniforms, intercepted his vehicle about 12 kilometres from Zugurma at about 1:30 p.m.

“I saw vehicles parked by the roadside, not knowing they were heavily armed Fulani bandits dressed in police uniforms,” he said.

Mr Niworo said he had intended to visit his farm that week but changed his plans after receiving a call to attend a meeting on the disbursement of ward development funds.

He said he and several other victims were initially held inside the Kainji National Park for about one month before being transported through bush routes on motorcycles to a forest in Zamfara State.

“Many of us captured were first kept in Kainji National Park for one month before we were moved to Zamfara Forest through cattle routes. We travelled for four days on motorcycles before arriving at the forest where we were kept in Fulani huts,” he said.

Describing life in captivity, Mr Niworo said he was chained, tortured and repeatedly threatened with death unless his family paid the ransom demanded by his captors.

“At Zamfara Forest, I was chained, tortured and sometimes forced to do frog jumps. They threatened to slaughter me if my sister, who was negotiating for my release, failed to bring the ₦150 million they demanded,” he said.

According to him, relatives, friends and religious organisations eventually raised ₦80 million, which secured his release.

Mr Niworo said he did not witness any hostages being killed during his captivity. Still, he claimed that many victims were released after their families paid between ₦5 million and ₦10 million, alongside a motorcycle.

He also alleged that the bandits communicated freely using walkie-talkies without being detected by security agencies.

He recalled that he was abducted alongside one Ahmed, a lawyer and permanent commissioner with the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), the commissioner’s driver and a personal assistant.

According to him, the driver’s body was later recovered, while the personal assistant regained his freedom. He claimed Mr Ahmed remained in captivity as of the time of his release.

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Mr Niworo’s account adds to growing concerns over the worsening security situation in Niger State, where banditry, mass abductions and attacks on rural communities have become frequent.

PREMIUM TIMES has reported several incidents in recent months, including military operations targeting bandit enclaves in Shiroro Local Government Area. In May 2026, Amnesty International called for an independent investigation after alleging that a military airstrike near Kusasu killed civilians, a claim the Defence Headquarters denied, insisting that about 70 bandits were neutralised.

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The newspaper also reported that the Niger State Government recently introduced a permit system and profiling exercise for pastoralists entering the state as part of efforts to curb insecurity. At the same time, security agencies have continued operations against cattle rustlers and criminal gangs across several local government areas.

Despite repeated military offensives and government interventions, large areas of Niger State, particularly Shiroro, Munya, Rafi, Mariga, and parts of Borgu, continue to experience attacks by armed groups, making the state one of the worst affected by insecurity in Nigeria’s North-central region.