The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Tuesday handed over two women who were recently freed from captivity to the Kaduna State Government.
The women, Khadijah Shehu Magaji and Fatimah Shehu Magaji, who are married to the same husband, were kidnapped on 18 August 2025 in Makarfi town, Kaduna State, and taken into Yadi Forest in Giwa Local Government Area.
They were released on 19 September after spending 33 days in the hands of their abductors. During the period in captivity, Khadijah gave birth to a baby girl, who was named Hafsat. The kidnappers had initially demanded ₦500 million as ransom but later reduced it to ₦200 million. Their release was secured without any ransom payment, through a non-kinetic strategy involving intelligence, dialogue, and security coordination.
The victims were formally handed over by Major General Adamu Laka, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, who represented Ribadu at the ceremony. He said the operation that led to their release showed the importance of cooperation between security agencies and the Kaduna State Government.
During the briefing, Laka also confirmed the arrest of two notorious suspects linked to kidnapping, armed robbery, and other violent crimes. The men, identified as Ibrahim Mohammed, also known as Alaye, and Adamu Mon’d, are said to have been involved in the killing of a lawyer in Gareywa and the killing of a Divisional Police Officer along the Gwagwalada axis. Their criminal network reportedly stretches across Abuja, Delta, Kaduna, Kano, and Kogi States.