Armed bandits have killed Mustapha Yahaya Maru, a teacher at Federal Government College, Anka in Zamfara State, despite his family paying ransom for his release.

Maru was abducted in early May while traveling to Anka. He was in a vehicle with other passengers when armed men stopped them and took the occupants away. The kidnappers later contacted his family and demanded a ransom sum that was far above what they could easily raise.

The family made efforts to gather the money and eventually paid the amount agreed with the abductors, expecting that he would be freed. Instead, the armed men killed him on Tuesday.

His death has thrown his family and the Anka community into deep mourning. The killing adds to growing concerns over rising violence in Zamfara and neighboring states, where armed groups continue to carry out attacks, abductions, and killings.