Niger State ex-official shares his 225-day nightmare with bandits

Former Chairman of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, Alhassan Niworo, has shared his painful story of being held by armed bandits for 225 days. He spoke about the torture, threats of death, and long negotiations that led to his freedom in May.

Mr Niworo told journalists in Minna that he was kidnapped on 29 September 2025. He was traveling from New Bussa, the headquarters of Borgu Local Government Area, to Minna at the time.

He was freed on 10 May after spending over eight months in captivity.

He described how the attackers, dressed in police uniforms, stopped his vehicle about 12 kilometers from Zugurma around 1:30 p.m. He said, "I saw vehicles parked by the roadside, not knowing they were heavily armed Fulani bandits dressed in police uniforms."

Mr Niworo had planned to visit his farm that week but changed his mind after getting a call to attend a meeting about the disbursement of ward development funds.

He explained that he and others were initially held inside Kainji National Park for about a month. Then they were taken through bush paths 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 traveled for four days on motorcycles before arriving at the forest where we were kept in Fulani huts," he said.

Talking about life in captivity, Mr Niworo said he was chained, tortured, and faced constant threats of death if his family did not pay the ransom. "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.

Relatives, friends, and religious groups eventually raised ₦80 million, which led to his release. Mr Niworo mentioned that he did not see any hostages being killed during his time in captivity. Still, he said many victims were released after their families paid between ₦5 million and ₦10 million, along with a motorcycle.

He also claimed the bandits used walkie-talkies to communicate without being caught by security forces.

Mr Niworo remembered that he was taken hostage with one Ahmed, a lawyer and permanent commissioner with the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission, his driver's body was later found while his personal assistant was freed. He claimed Mr Ahmed was still in captivity when he was released.

Mr Niworo’s story raises more worries about the worsening security situation in Niger State. Banditry, mass kidnappings, and attacks on rural communities are happening more frequently.