Bandits release Yakubu Dada whose wife was killed in captivity, after ransom payment

Yakubu Dada, who was abducted alongside his youngest wife, Lami, along Kontagora Road in Niger State on October 31, 2024, has finally regained his freedom after spending over seven harrowing months in the hands of bandits.

Dada was released on Monday, June 2, 2025, following the payment of an additional ₦20 million ransom by his family. This brought the total ransom paid to ₦30 million, excluding the four Bajaj motorcycles also demanded by the kidnappers.

Tragically, his wife, Lami, was not as fortunate. In early May, the bandits killed her in a brutal move to pressure the family into meeting their revised demands. Her death sent shockwaves through the local community and intensified the outcry against rising insecurity in Niger State and across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

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The initial ₦10 million ransom was reportedly paid in November 2024, but the kidnappers later demanded more money and vehicles, threatening to kill Dada if their demands were not met.

This newspaper reported that Yakubu Dada, a retired civil servant and resident of the Brighter Area of Minna, was abducted a few kilometers from Kontagora while traveling with his wife.

Speaking to this newspaper, his eldest wife, Maimuna, said Dada was released and abandoned by the kidnappers near Kotonkoro in Mariga LGA after receiving the additional N20 million.

Although he had not yet returned home, the family expressed relief over his release.

In November 2024, Maimuna revealed that the family had sold almost all their belongings including their house, two cars, beds, televisions, and other valuables to raise the initial N10 million ransom.

The payment was reportedly delivered by Dada’s younger brother in a forest in Kebbi State.

She added that after collecting the N10 million, the bandits initially demanded N60 million but later reduced their demand to N20 million and four motorcycles an amount the family struggled to raise.