Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima (Agom Adara III), the paramount ruler of the Adara Chiefdom in Kaduna State, was abducted by gunmen along the Kaduna-Kachia road at Maikyali village, Kachia LGA. He was traveling from Kaduna to his palace in Kachia with his wife, Victoria Galadima, and his driver, Timothy Katari. His police orderly (Sergeant Clement) and three palace guards were killed at the scene.

Perpetrators

Unidentified Armed Actors

Response

The Kaduna State Police Command confirmed the abduction and deployed a team of police, military, local vigilantes, and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to search for the victims. The Inspector General of Police's Intelligence Response Team (IRT) was also contacted for technical assistance.

Displacement

0

Socioeconomic drivers

Weak security infrastructure in Southern Kaduna; the abduction occurred in the wake of the Kasuwan Magani clashes, highlighting the region's fragility and the state's inability to protect traditional institutions.

Trajectory

This incident reflects the deadly escalation of ransom kidnappings in Northwest Nigeria – victims were increasingly killed even after ransoms were paid, signaling a breakdown in the "negotiation-for-release" dynamic that had previously characterized such crimes.

Cycle notes

The abduction and killing of Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima, the Agom Adara III of the Adara Chiefdom in Kaduna State, directly echoed the 2 January 2018 abduction of Yohanna Sidi Kukah, the Agwom Akulu II of Ikulu in Kaduna State, but with a far more lethal outcome, and the 26 December 2021 abduction of Charles Mato Dakat, the Sum Pyem of Gindiri in Mangu LGA of Plateau State, reflecting a pattern of traditional rulers being killed if ransoms were not paid. The method – abduction followed by execution and dumping of the body on 26 October 2018 – mirrored the September 2025 killing of Sarkin Shuwaka in Kanam LGA, Plateau State. This lethal pattern is also seen in the 1 February 2024 killing of Oba Peter Segun Aremu-Cole, the Olukoro of Koro in Ekiti LGA of Kwara State, where the monarch was murdered in his palace while his wife was abducted. Together with the other confirmed incidents – the 27 November 2019 abduction of Mohammed Ibrahim Pada of Rubochi in Kuje Area Council, FCT; the 20 April 2020 kidnapping of Alhaji Shehu Sulaiman, the Pankwal Bogghom of Bogghon District in Kanam LGA, Plateau State; the 16 January 2022 kidnapping of Da Gyang Balak Gut of Vwang District in Jos South LGA, Plateau State; the 30 March 2022 abduction of Hassan Shamidozhi of Bukpe in Kwali Area Council, FCT; and the 15 May 2025 abduction of Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke in Yagba West LGA, Kogi demonstrate a sustained pattern of targeting traditional rulers across Northern Nigeria, with some released after ransom payment and others killed when demands were not met or for other criminal motives.

Pattern

Traditional ruler kidnapping

Sources

• https://thesun.ng/i-wish-death-of-my-husbandll-bring-peace-to-kaduna-victoria-widow-of-slain-adara-monarch/
• https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/4-killed-in-abduction-of-traditional-ruler-wife-in-kaduna-police/amp/
• https://dailytrust.com/a-week-of-crises-in-kaduna/