Police say Nasiru Marafa was attacked on a highway in Tsafe LGA, alongside a companion who survived with injuries.
Nasiru Gusau Marafa, Bursar of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has been shot dead by suspected bandits while travelling along a highway in Zamfara State.
Oladipo Adetayo Ajayi, NOUN Registrar and Secretary to Council, announced Marafa’s death in a statement issued on Sunday, saying the university received information that he was shot while returning from Gusau, the state capital.
“The Vice-Chancellor, on behalf of the Governing Council, Management, Senate, Staff and Students of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), regrets to announce the sudden and untimely passing of the University Bursar, Mallam Nasiru Gusau Marafa, which occurred today, Sunday, 6th September 2026,” the statement read.
How the attack happened, according to police
The Zamfara State Police Command has since confirmed the circumstances of the killing. Police Public Relations Officer DSP Yazid Abubakar told Leadership that the attack occurred at Magazu Village in Tsafe Local Government Area, along a major highway.
Marafa was travelling in a vehicle with another person, identified as Nura Marafa, when suspected bandits struck. Nura survived the attack but sustained injuries.
“Investigations are ongoing. Our men are also at the deceased’s house assisting the family with funeral arrangements,” Abubakar said.
The university’s own statement did not disclose the exact location of the attack or the identity of those responsible, saying only that it was acting on information available to it at the time.
Marafa’s career at NOUN
Marafa was appointed Bursar of the university on 17 September 2022, for a five-year tenure originally scheduled to run until September 2027.
Ajayi described him as a dedicated and committed staff member who served the institution meritoriously and held various positions of responsibility throughout his career, calling his death “a profound loss to the university community” and describing him as “a distinguished colleague, dedicated administrator and valued member of the NOUN family.”
The Registrar extended the university’s condolences to Marafa’s immediate family, relatives, friends and colleagues, and said further information on burial arrangements would be communicated once details are released by the family.
“May the Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings, grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus, and grant his family, friends, colleagues and the entire University community the strength to bear this painful loss,” the statement added.
Part of a wider pattern of highway attacks in Zamfara
Marafa’s killing adds to persistent concerns over the safety of travellers on highways across Zamfara State and the wider North-West, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted commuters and public figures on major roads in recent years.
The incident has triggered concern among the university’s staff, students and alumni over the broader security situation confronting travellers in the region.
