Kidnapped retired Nigerian major general dies while held captive in north

Retired Nigerian Major General Hassan Ahmed has died after eight weeks in captivity, following his abduction in April while travelling through Kaduna State on his way to Abuja. According to BBC Africa, Ahmed's family said the Nigerian Armed Forces had told them of the death while ransom talks were in their final stages.

A family spokesperson said the Nigerian army was now working with local mediators and traditional leaders to recover the body. The Nigerian Ministry of Defence has not yet released details of the incident. President Bola Tinubu, in a national address on Friday, had warned armed groups to "surrender or face the full force of the state."

In north-west Nigeria, abductions by armed groups known as "bandits" surpassed 4,700 cases last year; data from SBM Intelligence put the average ransom payment at 1.2 million naira. Ahmed was kidnapped at a time when former vice-president Atiku Abubakar's convoy was using the same corridor, which has raised questions about security lapses. The scale and impact of operations launched in recent weeks in Sokoto and Zamfara by Tinubu's government will be reassessed in the coming days.