BREAKING: For Those 37 Days, Every Single Day, We Spoke With The Bandits And We Spoke With Our Nephew–Baba-Ahmed

According to a report by The Sun on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in order to get his nephew out of captivity, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who was formerly Vice President Kashim Shettima’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, revealed that he spent approximately ₦175 million.

According to him, this incident further solidified his conviction that kidnapped Nigerians are frequently left to fend for themselves, including the emotional and financial toll of negotiating with captors.

He revealed the information while appearing on Politics Today, a Trust TV program, and parts of the interview went viral on X, a social media platform.

He discussed the abduction and his lengthy interaction with the kidnappers in great detail during the interview.

It was his personal engagement in the negotiations and the resources utilised to guarantee the victims’ safe return that he emphasised in his statements.

He stated that his nephew—the son of his sister—who had passed away—along with three others—was abducted in the incident.

Reportedly, the gang was led to Kachia while returning from a farming operation close to Kaduna.

He detailed how, prior to the attack, they had decided to spend the night at a rural hamlet while travelling home from a day of farming.

Armed gunmen attacked and snatched the victims as they were resting in the village facility, he added.

Their usual return trip from the farm was abruptly interrupted by the raid, and the victims were held captive for weeks.

He made the observation that these kinds of incidents are becoming more common in some regions of the region, which makes rural travellers even more vulnerable.

He detailed how the victims, their families, and the kidnappers all stayed in touch for the entire 37 days of captivity.

He added that both the abductors and the hostages provided reports directly to the group every day during their meetings.

Both parties remained in continual touch throughout the negotiation process, which included these exchanges, in an effort to secure their release.

Additionally, he brought attention to the emotional and financial burdens that families bear during these kinds of events, pointing out that people frequently need to gather substantial funds and handle direct negotiations without outside help.