Two members of staff of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital have been abducted by suspected armed bandits while travelling along the Maru–Talata Mafara highway in Zamfara State, in yet another incident that has intensified concerns over insecurity across Nigeria’s North-West region.…....
According to reporting published on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, by Vanguard, the victims were identified as Malam Abdullahi, who works in the hospital’s Histopathology Department, and Malam Rufae of the Microbiology Department. Both men were said to have been travelling back to Sokoto State from Abuja after attending a union-related meeting when they were intercepted by armed men along the highway.
Eyewitness accounts and family sources indicated that the attackers struck on the notoriously unsafe stretch of road linking Maru and Talata Mafara, an area that has in recent years become synonymous with frequent kidnappings and ambushes despite repeated security interventions. The gunmen were said to have stopped the vehicle conveying the two health workers before whisking them away to an undisclosed location.
Shortly after the abduction, relatives of the victims reportedly began receiving communication from the kidnappers. The armed group is said to have demanded a ransom of N10 million for each of the abducted staff members before they could be released.
“The kidnappers reached out to the families and demanded N10 million from each side. The situation has thrown the families into deep distress, and they are appealing to security agencies and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene urgently,” a source close to the victims revealed.
The development has triggered anxiety among colleagues and residents familiar with the route, which has remained one of the flashpoints of insecurity in the North-West. Travellers on the highway have repeatedly faced threats ranging from kidnapping to armed robbery, with security forces often conducting patrols and operations in response to such incidents, though attacks have continued.
Staff members at the teaching hospital described the incident as deeply troubling, especially given that the abducted workers were said to have been returning from an official assignment connected to workers’ welfare. They noted that the victims were dedicated employees whose absence is already being felt within their respective departments.
A spokesperson for Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Mansur Wadata, confirmed that the abduction had taken place. However, he declined to provide further details, stating that the hospital management was actively engaging with the families of the victims as well as relevant security stakeholders in efforts aimed at securing their safe release.
