Niger NSIEC Commissioner Freed After 11 Months in Bandit Captivity
- Mohammed Wawa, a Niger State Independent Electoral Commission commissioner, was released on Wednesday after nearly a year in bandit captivity
- A family source said kidnappers received an additional ransom payment before freeing Wawa, months after an initial ₦40 million was reportedly paid
- Wawa disclosed he went over 300 days without bathing and survived on one daily meal of corn flour and Miyan Kuka while in captivity
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A commissioner with the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), Mohammed Wawa, has regained his freedom roughly 11 months after armed bandits seized him along a Niger State highway.
Wawa, who is from Borgu Local Government Area, was released on Wednesday night in the Funtua area, near the boundary between Katsina and Zamfara states, according to a family source.
Source: Getty Images
Ransom paid before release
The family said an initial sum of ₦40 million was paid to the kidnappers, but the abductors did not release Wawa at that point. It was only after an additional ransom payment on Wednesday that the bandits handed him over to his relatives. The family did not disclose the total amount eventually paid.
According to PremiumTimes, Wawa was abducted in September 2025 on the New Bussa–Ibbi road while travelling home ahead of local government elections. The corridor, which connects Niger State to neighbouring regions, has been a known flashpoint for kidnappings and other criminal activity.
Over 300 days without a bath
Speaking through a family source after his release, Wawa described the ordeal as deeply traumatic. He said his captors gave him only one meal per day, consisting of corn flour and Miyan Kuka, a traditional northern soup. Access to clean water was non-existent.
"The source of drinking water was the same as that of cows. We stayed in the midst of cattle, drinking the same water. Throughout my stay in captivity for over 300 days, I did not take a bath. So, when they handed me over to my family yesterday, the first thing I did was to take a one-hour bath. The experience was traumatising," the family source quoted him as saying.
A family member said Wawa's appearance alone reflected the severity of what he endured and called for urgent medical attention.
"Merely looking at the barrister, you will know that he has gone through a lot. He needs a comprehensive medical check-up," the source said.
Family appeals for others still in captivity
The family expressed gratitude to everyone who supported them throughout the nearly year-long ordeal. They also called for prayers for other victims of kidnapping who remain in the hands of armed groups.
Kidnapping by bandits has continued to pose a serious security threat in parts of Niger State, particularly in remote communities and along highways bordering other states. Wawa's case has brought renewed attention to the dangers faced by travellers and residents in the region, as well as the heavy financial and emotional burden placed on families of abduction victims.
Military rescues abducted victims without killing terrorists
Legit.ng earlier reported that Minister of Defence Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.) has shed light on how Nigerian security forces are able to rescue kidnapped victims without necessarily killing or arresting the terrorists responsible for holding them.
Musa spoke on Channels Television's Politics Today on Thursday, addressing growing public questions about military operations, including recent ones in Kwara State, in which troops freed abducted persons without any reported exchange of fire or payment of ransom.
Source: Legit.ng
