ABU Computer Engineering Students Clinch ₦3m Prize

Three students of Ahmadu Bello University have won the sum of three million Naira at the 2026 Heirs Insurance Hackathon. 

The students, all from the Department of Computer Engineering, are Najah El-Yakubu, Fahd Badamasi, and Abdulmuhaimin Ozavehe Siyaka. 

Briefing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, on the competition, the team lead, Najah El-Yakubu, said the Heirs Insurance Group reached out to students, looking for Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions.

Najah disclosed that they applied and their solution was on AI safe driving, which was to monitor safety driving and over speeding among drivers and car owners.

According to her, part of the idea of the company was people patronizing insurance companies, and this time around, they focused on students in looking for AI solutions.

She said at the first stage, more than 100,000 people applied, an online interview was conducted, top 15 were selected for physical interview and the presentation was made by the top five in Lagos, where ABU came second in the country and the only northern university to have qualified to the top five.

In a remark, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, congratulated the students on attaining the significant milestone.

Prof Ahmed was delighted that the students were putting mind in doing something that could benefit the society.

He enjoined the students to come up with AI solutions on how they could solve certain challenges of the university.

Ahmed assured them of the university's continuous support in subsequent competitions.

He thanked the students for representing ABU well and urged them to continue in that direction.

Director, Distance Learning Centre, Prof M B Muazu, supported the Vice-Chancellor in receiving the students.