Alhaji Muhammad Bawa, the abducted district chief of Gatawa in Sokoto State’s Sabon Birni Local Government Area, has reportedly been killed in captivity by bandits.
On Wednesday, a family member announced his death, alleging a failure to pay the bandits’ ransom demand.
The monarch was kidnapped together with his son and six others on the Sokoto-Sabon Birni Road some 25 days ago and has since been held hostage by his captors.
On his verified X handle, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar grieved the monarch.
In a message edited around 6.40 p.m. on Wednesday, Atiku said, “I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the entire community of Gobir Emirate, and the government of Sokoto State on the tragic loss of Sarkin Gobir, HRH Alhaji Isa Bawa, District Head of Gatawa District in Sabon Birni Local Government.
The heinous act of violence perpetrated by bandits, resulting in the untimely demise of such a revered leader, is a stark reminder of the pressing need for enhanced security measures in safeguarding the lives and property of citizens.
“The failure of the government to show concern or devise effective security strategies has undoubtedly contributed to the escalation of such distressing events in recent times.
“It is important to reiterate that the government must provide security that will ensure the protection of lives, such that individuals do not have to live in fear of falling victims to senseless acts of violence.”
In a 59-minute video released a few days ago, the monarch, whose hands and legs were tied, was seen appealing to the Sokoto State Government, the Sultanate Council, his relatives, and friends to help pay the ransom and secure his release.
Alhaji Bawa, seen in the video with blood-stained clothes, said the bandits had given a deadline for the payment, failure of which they would kill him.
“I have been appealing to the government to help me, but they didn’t, and I’m their worker; over the years I have been working for the state government.
“I am 74 years old today, and I have been working for the government for about 45 years now, and it’s all about traditional institutions,” he was heard as saying.
When reached, Sokoto police spokesman Ahmed Rufai stated that the command had received no word of the monarch’s death.
Meanwhile, some bandits in Kaduna State have kidnapped the wife and two sons of Galadimawa Village Chief, Alhaji Aliyu Galadimawa, in the state’s Igabi Local Government Area.
The attack took place on Monday night, about 11:30 p.m., when the bandits arrived in huge numbers and fired bullets to terrorise the town before storming into the village head’s home.
The abducted victims are the village chief’s wife, Fatima Aliyu, and their two boys, Abdullahi and Kamal Aliyu.
Hussaini Umar, the Sarkin Fadar Galadimawa, verified the occurrence and expressed his concern about the area’s weak protection.
“Our security here is inadequate. We desperately need help,” he said, urging the state government to strengthen security in the area.
Umar berated the current mobile police unit as insufficient, stating that the frequent abductions and violence had taken a heavy toll on the community.
“Around 20 neighbouring villages have relocated to Galadimawa due to the insecurity,” he added.
The Kaduna Police Command had yet to issue a statement on the incident, and efforts to reach the Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, were unsuccessful as a call put to his cell phone indicated that his line was “not reachable.”
