₦airaland Forum

Teetee777:
How my family and I narrowly escaped being kidnapped by bandits

I have witnessed and experienced many bandits attacking on the roads, market etc that involved me alone but this time, it wanted to involve my family.

Link below was how I kidnapped along Abuja -Kaduna road
https://www.nairaland.com/7029895/terrorist-attacked-thurday-10th-march

On the 18th of November, 2025, my family and I narrowly escaped being kidnapped by bandits at our residence in Zamfara State.

At the time, my family lived in Zamfara while I managed my business in Kano. Because of this, I traveled from Kano to Zamfara about twice every month to check on my family and spend time with them.

We had been searching for a new apartment after our landlord sold the house we were living in and gave us notice to vacate. Finding accommodation in Zamfara was extremely difficult because of the insecurity caused by bandit attacks in many villages. As a result, many families had relocated from rural communities to the state capital for safety, making houses scarce and expensive.

I instructed my family to look for a house within the city. Eventually, they found a three-bedroom apartment in Tsauni, along the Sokoto bypass. Since I was in Kano at the time, my wife showed me the apartment through a video call. I advised her to ask people around about the security of the area before we made any payment.

She told me that some of her colleagues lived in that neighborhood, so I personally called one of them to confirm if the environment was safe. I was told that the area was peaceful and that the apartment was even located close to a police station. After making my inquiries, I transferred the payment for the apartment to the agent.

I then told my wife to begin preparations for moving into the new apartment, and I promised to travel to Zamfara when they were ready to move in.

On the day my family planned to move, I arrived early in the morning from Kano to inspect the house myself. When I got there, [b]I immediately felt uncomfortable with the environment. From my years of traveling across Northern Nigeria and my understanding of how bandits operate, something about the area did not sit well with me. [/b]Unfortunately, we had already paid for the apartment and moved in.

Initially, I intended to stay with my family for only three days before returning to Kano. However, I kept feeling uneasy. Something deep inside me urged me to stay longer. After one week, I still did not feel at peace, and again I felt strongly that I should remain with my family for another week.

Then came the day that changed everything.

On the 18th of November, 2025, all my children had gone to school, and my wife had gone to work. I was alone at home when two men arrived and knocked on our gate.

I went outside to meet them. They claimed they were looking for the person who had previously lived in the house. I told them that I was a new tenant and did not know the former occupant. I advised them to contact the landlord instead.

The moment they left, I became deeply suspicious. Something in my mind immediately warned me that we should not sleep in that house that night.

I called my wife and told her that the family would not spend the night there. She asked what had happened, and I explained my encounter with the two men. Although she did not fully understand my fears, I had already made up my mind.

I contacted a friend of mine who had extra rooms in his compound and informed him that my family would stay at his place that night.

I also instructed my son to arrange for a vehicle that could help us move our belongings because I had decided that we would no longer continue living in that house.

By around 2 p.m., when my wife and children returned home from work and school, we began gathering our belongings in the compound while waiting for the vehicle to arrive.

At about 6 p.m., we called the driver, and he told us he was on his way. We waited until sunset and later went to the mosque for the Maghrib prayer around 7 p.m., but the driver still had not arrived.

After the prayer, we called him again, and this time he told us he would no longer be able to come until the following morning.

As we walked back from the mosque, I noticed several unfamiliar faces around the area. My fear increased immediately. I quickly gathered my children and told them we would not sleep in the house that night.

When we got home, I informed my wife that the driver would not come until morning. Since we could not move our belongings immediately, I decided to move the family out quietly without attracting attention.

I escorted two people at a time from the house to the main road, then returned for the others. I repeated this process until I had safely taken every member of my family, including my wife and children, to the roadside.

After escorting everyone out, I returned to the house alone because I did not want anyone in the neighborhood to suspect that we were leaving out of fear.

I stayed inside for about ten more minutes before quietly locking the gate and walking to join my family at the main road. It was around 8 p.m.

Less than ten minutes after we gathered there, one of my son’s friends, who lived in the second house nearby, called him and asked where we were.

When my son told him that we were no longer at home, the boy said that armed bandits had just invaded our house.

According to him, three armed men had jumped over our fence and entered the compound. When residents in the area noticed them, people immediately ran toward the nearby police station for safety.

After the bandits entered our compound and discovered that our belongings had already been packed together, they apparently realized something was wrong and jumped back over the fence.

On their way out, they kidnapped some people they encountered nearby.

The next morning, after daybreak, I returned to the house and then went straight to the police station to report the incident. I also informed the police that they should contact the landlord because I no longer wanted the apartment and wanted my money refunded. We had lived in the house for only two weeks.

That was how my family and I narrowly escaped being kidnapped by bandits that night and God saved us.

Lessons I Learned

1. Avoid living in isolated areas, especially places surrounded by empty plots, construction sites, or uncompleted buildings. Such locations can provide hiding places and easy access for criminals.

2. Never ignore danger signs or delay moving when you feel unsafe. Quick decisions can save lives.

3. Criminals often rely on information from people within or around a community. Residents should stay alert and be cautious about suspicious activities or unusual interest in their homes and movements.

4. Whenever you notice unfamiliar or suspicious people repeatedly appearing around your neighborhood, report it immediately to the police or local security authorities.

We will continue to pray for our security personnel because the situation of insecurity in Nigeria is beyond what anyone can predict when it will end.

Insightful, thanks for sharing.

Please also share what exact signs you noticed that made you uncomfortable with the environment, and what your years of traveling across Northern Nigeria and the understanding of how bandits operate has taught you about personal security.

Thanks.

Also, why didn't you move your family to Kano earlier?

MaxInDHouse:
There is only one God (Creator) so there is only one true religion the reason why no one has come to comment on this thread should tell you that they don't know what exactly their religion is doing.
Darkness is what the Bible God call religions that's false because worshipers can't explain what exactly their religion teaches or the practical sense/benefits of their religion they are in spiritual darkness.

Just wait and see if any religion can come up to prove they have something worthwhile doing! 🙂

Interesting.

What's that one true religion?

MaxInDHouse:
There is only one true religion as i have said and globally that is what we are doing! 🙂

I appreciate your religion respecting the peace of others. Truly. But you see that one true religion talk, that's your opinion bro. Ask every other religion out there and chances are it'll tell you the same, it's the only one true religion. It's the nature of most religion to take that stance, and at its core, that is more political than spiritual.

In fact, I'm automatically suspicious of any religion that says it is THE ONLY ONE TRUE religion because there's no such thing. It only serves to alienate other people.

Religion serves a purpose, and if your specific one serves you well as a person, what's the point of invalidating the next guy's if his does the same for him? You like Coke, he's a Pepsi guy. At the end of the day, it's all soda. It quenches your thirst and gives you diabetes 😛

Well... except when, reasonably speaking, there are aspects of his religion that are harmful for society, which quite frankly every religion has its share of toxicity be default, then it becomes everyone's responsibility, even its own more reasonable adherents, to speak out against those aspects.

MaxInDHouse:
There is only one true religion and we don't disturb neighbor's peace with noise {Isaiah 42:2} instead we pay them a courtesy visit as neighbors {Matthew 10:11-13} who are concerned about mankind's future {Matthew 10:7} due to circumstances some may say they are not interested we will move quietly to the next door or house but in most cases many who have turned us down during the first visit often welcome us at other times perhaps due to disturbing questions lingering in their hearts that's why we don't give up on our neighbors but as regards noise we follow the part of our founder whose voice is not heard in the streets! Matthew 12:19

Good on you! I wish more of your religious mates follow the same protocol.

naptu2:

"This same president protested when fuel was 141 naira, today, fuel is 1450 naira...I think at this rate, our current president needs to start protesting against himself..." - Serah Ibrahim. pic.twitter.com/SEMZLlZtgp

— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) April 25, 2026

Where's the lie tho? 🤷🏿‍♂️

jesusjnr2020:
Atheist Artemis II commander Converts To Christianity After Trip To Moon

The Artemis II commander, Reid Wiseman, who was said to be a self-confessed atheist, said after returning from his trip to the moon, despite not being a religious person, he had no other avenue to express what they had seen and experienced in space, so he asked for the Navy chaplain to visit them, and despite never seeing the man before, when the man came and he saw the cross on his collar, he broke down and wept:

Watch video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WpUa8eOd98?si=YS5gUA53wmMbdwAr

We live in an amazingly mind-blowing universe. Awe at the wonder that is reality is part of the human experience. I think religion provides the avenue to express that beautifully. I think this is part of why religion is such a ubiquitous phenomenon. The sheer, awe-inspiring nature of reality—from the secret and mysterious subatomic realm to the scale of the universe—demands an outlet. That, and the questions of why and who is responsible for creation.

In my experience, however, I find that being without religion doesn't take away from this innate appreciation for the wonder that life and reality is. Neither am I bugged down by the questions of why or the specifics of who—at least not anymore, because the answer is beyond human comprehension it seems to me.

I find it unfortunate that the evil element in our nature would hijack this beautiful tendency and channel it to create influence and power for itself through religion. Hatred, division, oppression, exploitation, et al, result from the uglifying nature of this evil will to power.

Because where in this clip did he say he converted to Christianity? I don't need to read the entire thread to know that the beauty of this brave commander's realization is lost on us, overshadowed by religious bigotry.

TimeManager:
https://punchng.com/fg-raises-allowances-boosts-welfare-for-civil-servants/

It is said that at a Politburo meeting, Joseph Stalin reportedly plucked a live chicken until it was bare and bleeding. Once the bird was shivering and traumatized, he offered it a handful of grain.

​To the surprise of the onlookers, the chicken—despite the torture—followed Stalin everywhere to stay near its only source of food.

​Stalin then turned to his colleagues and explained:
​"This is how you govern the people. Brutalize them, strip them of everything, and then give them a pittance. They will forget the pain and follow you like a hero."

I want to raise something that has bothered me about how we practice religion in this country, and I'm sure I'm not the only one experiencing it.

In many parts of Nigeria today, it has become normal for places of worship to use very loud speakers late into the night, sometimes past midnight, sometimes till morning, especially during vigils and special programs.

I understand that people have every right to practice their religion freely, but at what point does that freedom begin to infringe on the rights of others?

There are people living around these areas who need to sleep; workers, students, elderly people, even sick individuals, heck every other person not in your gathering. Yet they are forced to endure hours of loud noise they did not sign up for, with no real option to mute it.

What makes it more concerning is that the same religions emphasize love, consideration, and respect for others. Should worship come at the expense of your neighbour's peace and wellbeing?

I'm not trying to attack any religion or group. Wuna know wuna selves, and this is simply about respect for neighbours in a shared environment.

Other countries regulate noise levels at night regardless of who is making it; church, mosque, club, or event centre. Why our own go always dey different?

I would really like to hear people's thoughts:

- Have you experienced this personally?
- How do you deal with it?

Thank you.

What's Oga Edun's legacy?

1. Implemented subsidy removal.
2. Unified FX.

When he entered (May 2023):
Petrol — N195/litre
Dollar — N460 official, N780 street

When he comot (April 2026):
Petrol — N1200+/litre
Dollar — N1350 official, N1470 street


Effectively detonating two bombs on an economy where majority of people don already dey see shege pro max and the so called cushioning na N35K palliative! Once. That's it. How many people even see the 35K?

You say you break di old system and dollar dey enta the economy. But na only for that wuna FDI spreadsheet oo. Sapa wan kpai local man!

E go be. ✌🏿

I legitimately fear for Alhaji's life. An Africa that extracts and refines its own oyel is a threat to the current world order.

iwaeda:
"If you're not paying subsidy and you've got the money, why are we still borrowing?" — Lamido Sanusi questions federal government's economic policies and borrowing plans.

"If you're not paying subsidy and you've got the money, why are we still borrowing?" — Lamido Sanusi questions federal government's economic policies and borrowing plans pic.twitter.com/QjGemTVjVJ

— TheCable (@thecableng) April 24, 2026

Oga Sanusi kenan! A whole Central Bank Governor of the Year that year, if you ask us na who we go ask?

You wey already know wetin dey sup, na borrow to loot nah! Say it with your full chest! 😆

That said, let's not forget Nigeria has borrowed so much to the point where a large chunk of the revenue that flows in today goes straight to loan servicing (debt servicing to revenue ratio of upto 97%)... plus some of these loans are oil-for-cash; meaning we don already sell oyel wey dey ground, so we getting zero revenue from a tangible portion of the crude extracted today. Zero $$ for at least 120K barrels/day. To put it in context, on the best of days we extract about 1.3M barrels/day.

So why do we borrow when we've removed subsidy and own a refinery? Because we still broke AF, expenditure exceeds income and we need to borrow the monies we need for today's needs. How about taxes from the refinery? Well, Dangote is still enjoying his tax holiday, so there's minimal to no corporate tax revenue from there plus the refinery is sitting pretty in Lekki Free Trade Zone so even after the tax holiday, there's VAT, import duty and other waivers.

Sirianese:
He's still borrowing and he must continue to borrow, because Nigeria's funds are rushing down the gullet of the Lebanese billionaire as fast as the crude oil is pumped out of the ground

Gullet. I haven't heard/read this word in ages. Felt good to see it again.

Seun, a thread summarization feature will not be bad to have on NL oo. Like that one they've got on Google Play review section that will give you a summary of the entire section in 3,4 sentences. I've seen it implemented in other forums (Udacity's community forum specifically) and it's a nice feature. Saves one time reading through 5,6 pages of comments to get the general gist of the whole thread.

jmoore:
https://saharareporters.com/2026/04/13/northern-islamic-cleric-places-n1million-bounty-christian-mans-head-calls-his-beheading

WATCH: Northern Islamic Cleric Places N1Million Bounty On Christian Man’s Head, Calls For His Beheading In Viral Video pic.twitter.com/hkxOmRvL0w

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) April 13, 2026

Northern Nigeria Islam in its truest form.

20 characters.
This will make the forum more interesting for everyone