She Survived Seven Months in Bandits’ Den, Died a Day After Regaining Freedom

For seven months, 13-year-old Hasana Bulus dreamed of returning home. But barely 24 hours after that dream came true, she died.

The teenager, who was abducted by bandits from Awon village in Kaduna State’s Kachia Local Government Area on April 20, 2026, reportedly passed away on November 3, just a day after regaining her freedom.

Her death has left her family and community in mourning, highlighting the heavy human cost of the growing wave of kidnappings in parts of Kaduna State.

Reuben Buhari, a former aide to the late Kaduna State Governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, disclosed the heartbreaking development in a social media post on Thursday.

According to him, Hasana was released by her captors on November 2 and taken straight to a hospital in Kachia for treatment, but her body could not recover from the suffering she endured during months in captivity.

Describing her ordeal, Buhari wrote: “For seven long months, this little girl was held captive in the bush, enduring pain and horrors no 13-year-old should ever have to see, let alone live through.”

He added: “She was finally freed on 2nd November and taken to a hospital in Kachia. On 3rd November, just a day after tasting freedom, she died.”

Hasana’s death came as another tragedy struck Kachia Local Government Area. Gunmen reportedly attacked Akwando village in the early hours of November 4, abducting 18 people, mostly women and children, while killing two men.

Buhari said members of his extended family were among those taken away by the attackers, including women carrying infants and several young children.

He identified the two victims killed during the attack as Irimiya Galadima, 41, and Benjamin Danlami, 32.

The former governor’s aide recalled that Akwando village had also suffered a similar attack in April this year when nine schoolchildren were kidnapped on their way to school and later released after spending 36 days in captivity.

He further revealed that some victims abducted from Awon village months earlier also died in captivity, while another young girl reportedly died shortly after being taken to hospital following her release.

The latest incidents have renewed concerns over the worsening insecurity in rural communities across Kachia, where repeated attacks continue to claim lives and leave families devastated, with women and children among the worst affected.

As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Police Command had not confirmed the incidents. Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Hassan Mansur, were unsuccessful.