by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Bandits operating along the Kaduna-Abuja highway have killed another victim, Ibrahim Kadafa, popularly known as “Ibro,” after collecting a whopping ₦56 million ransom, three brand-new Samsung phones and a ₦20,000 recharge card from his family.
Ibrahim was kidnapped alongside his friend, Mustapha Shelpidi, while harvesting soybeans on his farm around Alheri Camp, Kilometre-30, along the Kaduna-Abuja road, on October 28, 2026.
Ibrahim, who worked in Abuja, had reportedly travelled to supervise his farm when the armed men struck and whisked both men away into the bush.
According to the family, the kidnappers initially demanded ₦100 million, which was later reduced to ₦80 million. After weeks of desperate negotiations, the family eventually paid ₦56 million, alongside three brand-new Samsung mobile phones and a recharge card worth ₦20,000, in the hope of securing Ibrahim’s release.
But, what should have been a moment of reunion turned into a devastating tragedy, as family said that when they went to receive Ibrahim after meeting the kidnappers’ demands, they were handed his lifeless body, which was returned on Wednesday, November 11, according to the family revealed penultimate yesterday.
The family also disclosed that Ibrahim had reportedly sustained a gunshot injury to his leg, while attempting to escape during the abduction, and remained without medical attention throughout his two weeks in captivity. They suspect complications from the untreated injury may have contributed to his death.
For the Kadafa family, the tragedy is particularly painful, having parted with millions of naira and other valuables in a desperate attempt to save their loved one, only to receive his corpse.
The incident further underscores the growing insecurity confronting farmers and residents along the Kaduna-Abuja corridor, where kidnapping for ransom continues to threaten lives and livelihoods, despite repeated government assurances of “improved security.”