Bandits abduct 3 newly graduated Nigerian soldiers in Zamfara, demand ₦50m ransom

Three recently passed-out members of the Nigerian Army have reportedly been kidnapped by suspected bandit terrorists in Zamfara State, where they are believed to have been abandoned by the military while traveling to their destination in Kebbi State.

The report suggests that the abduction took place on July 2, 2026, just after the soldiers had undergone their passing-out parade at the 26th Nigerian Army (26 NA) formation in Kaduna State.

According to details shared with SaharaReporters, the Nigerian Army was supposed to take the soldiers from Kaduna to Zuru, which is in Kebbi State, after they had completed their training.

But rather than taking them to their destination, the military apparently left them stranded in Gusau, Zamfara State late in the evening and told them to complete the rest of the journey alone the next morning.

People who know about the development claim that the stranded soldiers along with other passengers bound for Kebbi boarded a commercial bus from Gusau motor park early the next morning.

The incident happened after the occupants, which included the three soldiers and the driver, of the vehicle were ambushed by bandits who were highly armed as they travelled from Anka axis of Zamfara State.

Initially, the bandits demanded N50 million as ransom from the family of the abductees before cutting down the ransom to N5 million for each abductee.

According to the family members of the abducted soldiers, even after reporting the kidnapping incident to military officials, they have not received any form of response regarding the rescue mission after 13 days since the abduction took place.

A security analyst also revealed the abduction incident through social media video saying that he spoke with the parents of the kidnapped soldiers.

As per his information, there were six soldiers initially traveling along with others after the passing-out parade, but only three of them managed to run away from the abductors.

“According to reports, because I have spoken with the families of these soldiers, this year they were given pass after they passed

out from Kaduna,” he said.

“Normally, the Army was supposed to drop them in Zuru, Kebbi State. But they transported them only to Gusau in Zamfara State and dropped them there. It was already late, so they told everybody to find their way the following morning.”

He continued, “The next morning, the boys boarded a commercial vehicle from the Gusau motor park heading to Zuru. When they got near Anka, terrorists, otherwise known as bandits, attacked the vehicle and kidnapped everyone inside.

“Three soldiers escaped. But among those three, only one has been found. The whereabouts of the other two are still unknown.”

Speaking on the ransom demands, the analyst said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million, but later revised the amount.

“At first, they demanded N50 million. Later, they reduced it to N5 million for each person,” he said.

He added that the families had contacted the Nigerian Army immediately after learning of the abduction but alleged that the military had yet to respond.

“I asked the families whether they had informed the military. They told me they had contacted the military about the incident, but the military has not responded and has not done anything about it.”

Pointing to photographs of the victims, he identified the three soldiers among those abducted.

“You see these three people I marked with arrows? They are the soldiers. One of them is even wearing his military uniform. These are the soldiers the bandits are demanding N5 million each for.”

He said the families were devastated and financially incapable of meeting the ransom demands.

“According to the families, they are crying because they don’t have the money. They don’t have anything. They cannot raise such an amount.”