Abuja Businessman, Daughter Killed by Bandits Despite N12 Million Ransom

Bandits have reportedly killed an Abuja-based businessman, Muhammad Shuaibu, along with his 19-year-old daughter, Fatima Muhammad, despite the family fulfilling a ransom demand of N12 million.

Fatima was a student at the University of Abuja, while her father, Shuaibu, was a trader at the Dei-Dei Modern Market in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

Sources indicate that Shuaibu and his two daughters were abducted from their home in Zhidu community, Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, on October 3, 2025, when armed individuals raided their residence.

A family member, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the assailants initially took the businessman and his daughters into the forest after overwhelming the household.

The abductors subsequently demanded ransom in stages, which the family managed to pay in three instalments: N6 million, then N4 million, followed by a final payment of N2 million, bringing the total to N12 million.

According to the source, Fatima was killed by the kidnappers approximately three months prior to these events, with the bandits claiming she was "stubborn," even as ransom negotiations were still underway.

The family member further explained that after the last payment of N2 million, the kidnappers instructed the person delivering the ransom to return. They claimed the businessman had died in captivity after a severe illness.

To gather the ransom money, the family was compelled to sell the deceased's shop at Dei-Dei Modern Market, his personal car, and a water production machine, the source revealed.

"The bandits even demanded that we sell his house, but no buyer was found," the relative added.

Attempts to obtain comments from the Niger State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to inquiries at the time of this report.