Terrorists killed Malam Bashar Sani, an administrator at the College of Education in Maru, after his family paid N20 million ransom and delivered motorcycles, phones and other items.
The terrorists struck at the family’s home in Shiyyar ‘Yan Hudu, Maru town, during a raid.
They took Sani along with one of his wives and his daughter.
In the same attack they killed the wife of a policeman and seized her five children.
The family first handed over N20 million in cash.
They also bought and delivered three motorcycles after the terrorists reduced their demand from 15.
On top of that they provided airtime worth N200,000 and four phones.
Once the items reached the terrorists the family received instructions to return home and wait.
Later the terrorists told them to travel to Gidan Kano village in Maradun Local Government Area to collect the hostages.
When the family arrived at the village they saw Sani’s wife and daughter among those released.
Sani himself was not there. His wife then explained that the terrorists had killed him in their camp.
He had suffered a broken leg during the abduction and never received any treatment.
This event forms part of a longer pattern for the family.
Several years earlier terrorists abducted Sani’s two wives from their home in Tsohon Tasha.
He paid N2 million to free them. Months later the terrorists seized his younger brother Hassan Sani.
He paid N3.5 million plus airtime and phones for that release too.
In total Sani spent at least N25.7 million on such payments over the years.
After those earlier incidents the family moved to Shiyyar ‘Yan Hudu in search of safety.
The calm lasted about 18 months before the latest raid.
Hassan Sani later recalled that his brother hoped the new location would protect everyone but the terrorists found them anyway.
When the family asked about Sani at Gidan Kano village his wife confirmed he had already died.
The terrorists had killed him before they even told the family to collect the others.
