Minna, Niger State – March 6, 2026
The sister of the former Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Chairman, Alhaji Alhassan Bawa Niworo, has revealed harrowing details of her brother’s abduction, saying armed bandits threatened to kill him if his family mentioned Allah or Prophet Muhammad during ransom negotiations.
Hajiya Kulu Niworo said her brother was kidnapped on Monday, September 29, 2025, along the Mokwa–New Bussa road in Borgu Local Government Area while traveling with several other passengers, including a legal practitioner, Barrister Ahmad, and traders returning from the New Bussa weekly market.
Speaking in a video shared by Gaskiya News Hausa and circulated online by security analyst Bakatsine, Hajiya Kulu described the family’s desperate efforts to secure her brother’s release.
“We sold everything, took bank loans, and paid ₦30 million, but they demanded an additional ₦150 million,” she said.
She added that the kidnappers reacted violently whenever she invoked the name of God or the Prophet during phone calls. “Every time I pleaded with them in the name of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, they beat him, put a knife to his throat, and threatened to kill him if I mentioned God or the Prophet again,” she recounted.
Despite paying the initial ransom, her brother remains in captivity for over six months. Hajiya Kulu also revealed that the abductors have not contacted the family in six weeks. During their last communication, she told the bandits, “If God said he would die in your hands, he would, and if not, he will survive.”
The kidnappers reportedly responded by threatening to kill her brother, citing the family’s inability to meet their escalating ransom demands.
The Niworo family’s ordeal underscores the growing insecurity along the Mokwa–New Bussa corridor and the rising trend of violent kidnappings targeting travelers in Niger State.
