BREAKING: When The Bandits Cut Their Price From N50m To N3m, We Devised A Way To Know If He Was Alive — Nura Hassan

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According to a report by Nigerian Tribune on Saturday, June 6, 2026, Nura Hassan has narrated how relatives and friends of the late Mustapha Maru attempted to confirm his survival after kidnappers unexpectedly reduced their ransom demand during negotiations.

Maru was abducted on May 4 while travelling from Maru Village to Anka in Zamfara State. His abductors initially demanded ₦50 million along with five Honda motorcycles, but later abruptly lowered the demand to ₦3 million, a shift that immediately triggered suspicion among those handling the case.

Hassan explained that the sudden reduction unsettled the family, as it was unusual for kidnappers to drastically cut ransom demands without any clear reason. This raised fears that Maru might already have been killed.

He said the kidnappers first contacted a family representative identified as Kabiru, insisting on the original ₦50 million ransom and the motorcycles. Kabiru reportedly responded that the family had never had access to such funds. After several days of silence, the abductors returned with the reduced demand of ₦3 million.

The development, according to him, left the family confused, prompting them to continue negotiations while also seeking a way to verify Maru’s condition. The kidnappers reportedly set a one-week deadline for the payment.

Nura Hassan said the family later devised a method to confirm whether Maru was still alive by attempting to speak with him directly. Having already spoken with him twice since his abduction, they informed the kidnappers that they had raised ₦1.8 million and also claimed that another ₦1 million had been deposited into his wife’s account, although her ATM card was said to still be in Maru’s possession.

They then requested to speak with him so he could confirm the whereabouts of the ATM card, hoping this would serve as proof of his condition.

Hassan stated that the aim was solely to verify Maru’s status while efforts to complete the ransom payment continued. However, despite eventually meeting the kidnappers’ demands, the abductors later informed the family that Maru had been killed, plunging the community into mourning and shock.