ZARIA, Kaduna State — Dr Iliyasu Abubakar Sadiq, a lecturer and researcher with the Division of Agricultural Colleges of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has been abducted from his farmhouse and killed by armed men hours later.
Sadiq, who was from Jigawa State, was abducted at about 10am on Sunday, September 20, 2026, from his farmhouse in Tudun Muntsira, a community located behind ABU’s Samaru Campus.
His body was reportedly found around 2pm at Karau-Karau village, where he had allegedly been shot in the head.
According to an account given by his wife, Hajiya Baraka, the incident began when the couple heard their dogs barking.
She said Sadiq went outside to find out what was happening but returned shortly afterwards and asked her to help secure the door.
The attackers, said to be four armed men, eventually forced their way into the farmhouse after breaking part of the door.
Baraka said the assailants did not cover their faces. Two of them held her husband while the other two demanded money and valuables from her.
She reportedly told them that the family did not have money and that they were only at the farm to work.
The attackers subsequently demanded Sadiq’s phone and ATM card. After failing to obtain what they wanted, they decided to take him away.
As the gunmen dragged him from the farmhouse, Sadiq repeatedly called his wife, saying: “Baraka! Baraka! Take care of my children. Please, have mercy.”
After the gunmen left with her husband, Baraka escaped from the farmhouse with one of their children and raised the alarm in a neighbouring community.
Residents subsequently searched the surrounding bushes for the abductors and the missing lecturer, but the initial search did not yield any result.
Several hours later, the family was informed that Sadiq’s body had been found around Karau-Karau.
Baraka was reportedly told that he had been shot in the head and that some items on his person had been taken.
Dr Sadiq was both an academic and a farmer. He maintained an orchard and farmhouse where he sometimes stayed with his family, despite having accommodation within the university quarters.
He previously served as Head of Programme, Pest Management, at the Division of Agricultural Colleges and taught courses in Entomology and Agriculture.
He is survived by two wives and nine children.
The Director of the Division of Agricultural Colleges, Prof. Bashir Ahmed Babaji, described Sadiq as a reliable and hardworking member of staff who was committed to his duties.
Babaji said the university was initially informed of the abduction by its security officer before receiving confirmation that the lecturer had been killed.
He described the death as a painful loss to the division and the wider university community.
According to Babaji, ABU had experienced previous abduction incidents involving academic staff, although the earlier cases known to the institution had not resulted in fatalities.
The Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, reportedly said he would provide further information after obtaining details of the incident. At the time of the Daily Trust report, he had not provided a further response.
Source: Daily Trust, with additional confirmation from Trust Radio.
