YRC Demands Immediate Release Of Zamfara SDP Governorship Aspirant’s Aide Abducted By Bandits | Sahara Reporters

According to the group, Abubakar boarded a 14-seater Sokoto State Transport bus after he was summoned by Bulawus for an urgent assignment.

The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Saidu Abubakar, an English language teacher and aide to Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship aspirant in Zamfara State, Hamza Musa Bulawus, who was abducted by bandits along the Sokoto-Kano highway.

YRC, in a statement issued on Friday by its National Coordinator, Michael Adaramoye Lenin, and National Secretary, Francis Nwapa, said Abubakar was kidnapped on August 25, 2026, while travelling from Sokoto to Kano on an assignment reportedly given to him by Bulawus.

According to the group, Abubakar boarded a 14-seater Sokoto State Transport bus after he was summoned by Bulawus for an urgent assignment.

The vehicle was reportedly ambushed by armed bandits in broad daylight along the Tsafe-Magezu axis of Zamfara State.
YRC said the attack resulted in the deaths of two passengers, while three others sustained gunshot injuries.

Four passengers, including Abubakar, were reportedly taken into the bush by the attackers, while other passengers escaped.
The rights group said the abductors seized Abubakar’s phone, retrieved Bulawus’ contact and subsequently demanded N50 million ransom and 10 motorcycles for his release. The ransom demand was later reportedly reduced to N10 million.

YRC accused Bulawus of failing to personally take responsibility for securing the release of his aide, alleging that the politician instead directed his Personal Assistant to tell Abubakar’s family members to raise the ransom themselves.

The group described the development as unacceptable, arguing that Abubakar was travelling specifically because Bulawus had summoned him for an urgent assignment.

“The Youth Rights Campaign finds it deeply troubling that Saidu Abubakar was not a passer-by who wandered into misfortune. He was travelling specifically because Hamza Musa Bulawus called him for an urgent assignment,” the group said.

According to YRC, the circumstances of the abduction impose a “direct moral, and indeed practical, responsibility” on the SDP governorship aspirant to lead efforts to secure the victim’s freedom.

“It is unacceptable that a man seeking the mandate of the people of Zamfara State as governor would, in the face of this tragedy, distance himself from the plight of a loyal aide and pass the burden of ransom back to Saidu’s struggling family,” the group said.
“Leadership is tested not in comfort but in crisis.”

YRC challenged Bulawus to take personal responsibility for the rescue of Abubakar, saying his handling of the crisis would demonstrate the type of leadership he would provide if elected governor.

The group also used the incident to condemn the worsening insecurity across Nigeria, particularly attacks on travellers and public transport along major highways.
It blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government and the country’s security architecture for failing to adequately protect citizens despite the huge financial resources allocated to security.

“Daylight ambushes on public transport, mass kidnappings for ransom, and killings on federal and state highways have become horrifyingly routine under the watch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government,” YRC said.

The group questioned the effectiveness of the huge security allocations at both federal and state levels, particularly the security votes controlled by governors.

“Nigerians are entitled to ask: where is the return on these huge security budgets and monthly security votes, when citizens cannot travel a few hours by road without fear of ambush, death, or abduction?” it asked.
YRC called for the immediate and unconditional release of Abubakar and urged the Zamfara State Police Command and other relevant security agencies to launch operations aimed at locating and rescuing him and other victims still being held by the bandits.
The group further demanded that Bulawus take “personal and full responsibility” for securing the release of his aide.
It also called on the federal and state governments to provide transparent accounts of how security votes and other security funds are being spent.
YRC demanded increased and sustained security presence along the Tsafe-Magezu axis and other identified flashpoints on the Sokoto-Kano corridor to prevent further attacks.
The group said it would continue monitoring the case until Abubakar is reunited with his family.
“We call on the media, civil society, and well-meaning Nigerians to join us in amplifying this call until he is set free,” the group said.