NSIEC Commissioner Mohammed Ahmed Wawa is freed after nearly a year in bandit captivity, describing over 300 days without bathing, one meal a day, and drinking water shared with cattle.
Minna, Niger State — September 4, 2026
A commissioner with the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), Barrister Mohammed Ahmed Wawa, has regained his freedom after spending 338 days in the custody of bandits, following the payment of an additional ransom on top of an initial ₦40 million already paid by his family.
Wawa, popularly known as Ahmed Lawyer and hailing from Borgu Local Government Area, was abducted in September 2025 along the New Bussa–Ibbi road while returning from his hometown ahead of Niger State's local government elections.
He was reportedly kidnapped alongside the former Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhassan Bawa Niworo, who had regained his freedom earlier. He was released on Wednesday night in the Funtua area, near the boundary between Katsina and Zamfara states.
Speaking after his release, Wawa described his captivity as deeply traumatic, saying he went more than 300 days without bathing and was fed only once a day, mainly corn flour and Miyan Kuka, a traditional northern soup.
He said captives drew drinking water from the same source used by livestock. "We stayed in the midst of cattle, drinking the same water," he said, adding that taking a long bath was the first thing he did upon reuniting with his family.
According to his family, an initial ₦40 million was paid to secure Wawa's release, but the kidnappers refused to hand him over at that point, demanding an additional payment before finally releasing him on Wednesday.
The family did not disclose the total amount ultimately paid, and a relative said Wawa's physical condition reflected the hardships he had endured, calling for a comprehensive medical examination.
Wawa's release adds a rare positive outcome to a state that has recorded some of Nigeria's most severe mass-abduction incidents this year, including the Borgu mosque attacks and the Kasuwan Daji market massacre.
His case, nearly a year in captivity, secured only through a second ransom payment — underscores just how entrenched and lucrative kidnapping-for-ransom has become along the state's forested highway corridors.
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