Gunmen abducted Yohanna Sidi Kukah, the Agwom Akulu II (paramount ruler of Ikulu chiefdom), at his private residence in Anchuna village, Zangon Kataf LGA, Kaduna State.
2 Jan 2018 · Achuna, Zagon Kataf, Kaduna
Deaths
0
Injured
0
Kidnapped
2
Total casualties
0
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
The Kaduna State Police Command was notified and initiated efforts to secure his release. The Ikulu Development Association (IDA) reportedly approached prominent sons of the chiefdom to contribute money for his release. The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) also reached out to the Police Commissioner and other military formations for intervention.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Weak security presence in Southern Kaduna, enabling criminal networks to operate with impunity
Trajectory
This incident was part of a broader wave of kidnappings targeting traditional rulers and elite figures in Kaduna and surrounding states in 2018, reflecting the growing commercialisation of abduction for ransom in the region
Cycle notes
The abduction of Yohanna Sidi Kukah, the Agwom Akulu II of Ikulu in Kaduna State directly echoed the 19 October 2018 kidnapping of Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima, the Agom Adara III of the Adara Chiefdom in Kaduna State, who was killed in captivity with his corpse dumped on 26 October 2018, the 27 November 2019 abduction of Mohammed Ibrahim Pada, the traditional ruler of Rubochi in Kuje Area Council of the FCT, who was released in December 2019, the 20 April 2020 kidnapping of Alhaji Shehu Sulaiman, the Pankwal Bogghom of Bogghon District in Kanam LGA of Plateau State, the 26 December 2021 abduction of Charles Mato Dakat, the Sum Pyem of Gindiri in Mangu LGA of Plateau State, who was released on 30 December 2021 with 8 suspects arrested, the 16 January 2022 kidnapping of Da Gyang Balak Gut, the Da Gwom Rwei of Vwang District in Jos South LGA of Plateau State, the 30 March 2022 abduction of Hassan Shamidozhi, the traditional ruler of Bukpe in Kwali Area Council of the FCT, the 1 February 2024 killing of Oba Peter Segun Aremu-Cole, the Olukoro of Koro in Ekiti LGA of Kwara State, whose wife was abducted but later rescued, and the 15 May 2025 abduction of Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke in Yagba West LGA of Kogi , who was released after 27 days in captivity in June 2025. All these verified incidents are part of a sustained pattern of targeting traditional rulers in North-Central and North-Western Nigeria. The method of abduction and eventual release after a period in captivity, seen in the cases of Yohanna Sidi Kukah, Mohammed Ibrahim Pada, Charles Mato Dakat, and Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, mirrored the ransom-driven nature of these abductions, reflecting a consistent pattern of ransom-driven abductions of monarchs across Northern Nigeria.
Pattern
Traditional ruler kidnapping
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