SaharaReporters gathered that Malam Zainu’s funeral prayer was held on Thursday, days after he was abducted by armed bandits along the Kwatarkwashi–Mada highway, a notorious route that has increasingly become a danger zone for commuters and local residents.
Bandits have killed Malam Zainu AB Mada after collecting a ransom of ₦2 million, two mobile phones and ₦70,000 worth of airtime from his family in Zamfara State.
SaharaReporters gathered that Malam Zainu’s funeral prayer was held on Thursday, days after he was abducted by armed bandits along the Kwatarkwashi–Mada highway, a notorious route that has increasingly become a danger zone for commuters and local residents.
Information provided by a Katsina-based security expert, Mallam Bakatsine on Friday, disclosed that the victim was kidnapped while travelling on the highway, an area repeatedly targeted by criminal gangs operating with seeming impunity.
According to the security alert, locals later confirmed that despite meeting the bandits’ demands in full, Malam Zainu was brutally killed by his captors.
Residents said the ransom paid included ₦2 million in cash, two mobile phones and airtime valued at ₦70,000, items the bandits specifically demanded during negotiations.
The payment, however, did not save the victim’s life, reinforcing fears that ransom payments no longer guarantee the safety of abducted persons.
The killing of Malam Zainu follows a disturbing and increasingly common pattern in Zamfara and neighbouring states, where victims are executed even after families exhaust their resources to comply with kidnappers’ demands.
Zamfara State has remained one of the epicentres of banditry in Nigeria, with frequent reports of mass abductions, village raids, killings and attacks on major highways.
However, despite repeated assurances by government authorities and security agencies, residents say they continue to live in fear, particularly those who rely on road travel for farming, trade and daily survival.