A farmer, Ibrahim Kadafa, popularly known as Ibro and K9, who was kidnapped alongside his friend, Mustapha Shelpidi, along the Kaduna-Abuja highway, has been returned dead after his family reportedly paid ₦56 million ransom and other valuables in an effort to secure his release.
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Kadafa and Shelpidi were abducted on October 28, 2026, while harvesting soybeans on Kadafa’s farm around Alheri Camp, Kilometer 30, along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
Kadafa, who worked in Abuja and maintained farming interests in Kaduna State, had reportedly travelled to supervise activities on his farm when the gunmen struck and abducted both men.
According to the family, the kidnappers initially demanded ₦100 million ransom before reducing the amount to ₦80 million following negotiations.
After weeks of negotiations, the family eventually paid ₦56 million, alongside three brand-new Samsung mobile phones and a ₦20,000 recharge card, hoping that Kadafa would be released alive.
The ransom was reportedly delivered on Tuesday, November 10.
However, the family’s hope of reuniting with him was shattered the following day when the kidnappers handed over his lifeless body.
The family said Kadafa had sustained a gunshot injury to his leg while attempting to escape during the abduction and was allegedly left without medical attention throughout his approximately two weeks in captivity.
They suspect that complications arising from the untreated injury may have contributed to his death.
The development left the Kadafa family devastated after they had parted with millions of naira and other valuables in a desperate attempt to secure his freedom.
Fresh details from people close to the deceased also painted a picture of an industrious and principled man whose death has left relatives and friends struggling with grief.
Kadafa, who was the first child of his mother, had siblings residing in Abuja.
Although unmarried and without biological children, he was said to have been in a relationship before his death.
A close associate who said he had known Kadafa for more than six years described him as an exceptionally hardworking, enterprising and principled man whose commitment to fairness and justice sometimes brought him into confrontation with others.
“In the last six or more years, Ibrahim Kadafa (K9) has been a very important part of my life, almost like a biological younger brother that my late mom never had.
“We stayed in the same building, about the only person I could say knew me well because we did most things in common.
“When he cooked, if I wanted to eat from it, I was sure there would be no protest. If I wanted to hang out, he was the only person whose lifestyle and mine synched,” the associate said.
He said Kadafa was not only a close companion but also someone who trusted his judgment and frequently sought his advice on important personal matters.
“I was one of those who could tell him if he was wrong and I can say that more than many family members, more than most of his childhood friends, I had a strong influence on him and he respected me so.
“When he needed advice on important decisions, he came to me as one he believed would give wise counsel. He was my brother and friend,” he said.
The associate recalled that when he once had an opportunity to invite only one friend and one family member to a presidential event, Kadafa was the friend he chose to accompany him alongside his daughter.
According to him, the gesture reflected the depth of their relationship.
Beyond his personal relationships, Kadafa was described as a hardworking man who combined his professional engagements in Abuja with substantial agricultural activities and other properties in Kaduna State.
Associates said he worked with the ICRC and frequently travelled between Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory to supervise his investments.
It was during one of those trips that he was abducted.
Kadafa had travelled from Abuja to Kaduna on October 28 alongside Shelpidi, popularly known as Musty, before both men were abducted from his farm.
The close associate described Kadafa as someone who approached responsibilities with dedication and was unwilling to accept failure in tasks entrusted to him.
“A very hardworking and progressive citizen, committed to whatever was left to his care. He never wanted to fail at anything.
“Some saw him as too combustive because he feared no one whenever he had to bare his mind on issues, especially issues concerning justice and forthrightness,” he said.
The associate said the ransom was eventually delivered to the kidnappers on Tuesday, November 10, after negotiations aimed at securing Kadafa’s release.
However, the following day, the kidnappers handed over his body.
“Now he’s no more, murdered by a bunch of nobodies who kidnapped him from his own farm in Kaduna, alongside another friend of his, Musty.
“They demanded ransom, it was paid on Tuesday, and on Wednesday they threw his corpse at us, his loved ones.
“I feel really devastated, robbed and offended right now. I feel like hating, like taking revenge, but from who?” he lamented.
He described Kadafa’s death as particularly painful because of what he believed the deceased could still have achieved.
“K9 was better than most, but robbed of the promises his future held for him. This is wrong, in all shades,” he said.
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