After video plea for Sokoto govt to pay ransom to free him, bandits kill kidnapped monarch

By OUR REPORTER, Sokoto

The kidnapped District Head of Gatawa in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Alhaji Isa Bawa, has been killed by his abductors, after being abducted, tortured, and dehumanised.

The monarch was recently seen in a video, which showed him being surrounded by AK 47 carrying bandits.

In the video watched by The DEFENDER’s reporter, the traditional ruler, who spoke on Hausa, was pleading with the Sokoto State Government to pay the bandits the ransom they demanded, saying that if the deadline was not met, they would kill him.

Three weeks ago, precisely on July 27, 2024, the bandits kidnapped the Sokoto monarch at Kwanar Maharba area on his way back home after attending a meeting in the Sokoto City.

In his interview with the BBC, Shuaibu Gwanda Gobir, who is the district head of Gobir said that the news was enough for them that the kidnappers killed the emir on Tuesday.

“The news I got is that the bandits shot him yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, and those who went to discuss the payment of the ransom saw the emir’s body lying there,” he said on Wednesday August 21.

He added that as of this moment, they had not received the deceased’s body yet.

This was confirmed by a brother of the slain monarch, Ubandoman Sabon Birni, Kani Ubandoma.

He said the district head died Tuesday evening. “It was a traditional ruler in Zamfara who broke the news about his death to us,” Ubandoma said.

“But his son, Kabiru and younger brother are still alive based on the information revealed to us,” the brother said.

It was learnt that there was a move by the family to take the N60 million ransom and motorcycles demanded by bandits to on Wednesday August 21, 2024.

“Yes our brothers were about to take the money and the motorcycles to them when we were called by the traditional ruler who asked us not to go because Sarkin Gobir is dead,” he said.

Another traditional title holder in Sabon Birni, Gwanda Gobir, who confirmed the death said, “they didn’t let us speak to him for days.

“Anytime we called, they would tell us Sarkin Gobir is not feeling fine and could not talk.

“But they allowed us to speak to his son who was abducted with him and he told us Sarkin Gobir has been taken somewhere for treatment because was suffering from catarrh.

“We know they forced him to talk to us like that, because they wanted to get the money before revealing the death to us.”

When contacted, the Public Relation Officer of Sokoto Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, denied knowledge of the death of the monarch.

He, however, promised to call back if it is confirmed.