Bandits have reportedly demanded a ₦20 million ransom for the release of a student of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Auwal Mas’ud Shitu, who was kidnapped along the Charanchi–Dutsinma road in Katsina State.
Shitu, a 300-level student of Pure and Industrial Science, was abducted on May 17 at Mararaban Kankara while he was travelling in a commercial vehicle.
Security analyst Bakatsine and an online platform, Sahara Reporters, first raised the alarm about the incident.
Sources within the university, who requested anonymity, said the student was engaged in livestock trading to sustain himself and support his family after the death of his father. According to them, he regularly bought and sold sheep, but had recently been advised to transport them to southern Nigeria, where prices are higher.
“He usually sells within the state, but he was told he could get better profit in the South,” one source explained.
The sources further disclosed that Shitu had purchased several sheep and was transporting them when suspected bandits intercepted the vehicle at Mararaban Kankara, abducting him along with the animals.
Family members said the kidnappers later reached out to them, demanding ₦20 million for his release. They added that the amount was far beyond what the family could afford.
At the time of filing this report, it was still unclear whether negotiations had resumed between the abductors and the family.
Meanwhile, the Katsina State Police Command had not yet issued an official response regarding the incident.