An Abuja-based businessman, Muhammad Shuaibu, and his 19-year-old daughter, Fatima Muhammad, were tragically killed by bandits despite the payment of a N12 million ransom. Fatima, a student at the University of Abuja, and her father, a trader at the Dei-Dei Modern Market in Bwari Area Council of the FCT, fell victim to the armed assailants.

The ordeal began on October 3, 2025, when armed men invaded their residence in Zhidu community, located in the Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State. Muhammad Shuaibu and his two daughters were abducted and taken into the bush after the bandits rounded up members of the household.

Negotiations for their release ensued, with the kidnappers demanding ransom in installments. The distraught family managed to pay a total of N12 million, delivered in three separate tranches: N6 million, N4 million, and a final N2 million. However, tragedy struck during the ongoing negotiations, as the kidnappers reportedly killed Fatima approximately three months prior to the final payment, accusing her of being "stubborn".

Following the last ransom payment of N2 million, the kidnappers instructed the bearer to return, claiming that the businessman, Muhammad Shuaibu, had also died in captivity after falling seriously ill. The family was forced to make immense sacrifices to meet the bandits' demands, selling the deceased's shop at Dei-Dei Modern Market, his private car, and even a sachet water production machine to raise the funds. The bandits had further demanded that the family sell his house, but no buyer could be found.

Efforts to obtain a statement or response from the Niger State Police command’s spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, proved unsuccessful, as messages sent to him remained unanswered at the time the report was filed. This tragic event highlights the dire consequences of banditry and the devastating impact on families in affected regions.