INSIDE STORY OF HOW (75) ZAMFARA ABDUCTEES WERE FREED BY BANDITS
Big Story
By
Managing Editor
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Seventy out of the (95) people abducted by some suspected armed bandits at Wanzamai village of Tsafe local government area of Zamfara state were so far freed by their abductors.
They were freed by their abductors after payment of an unspecified amount of money as ransom.
Some unverified sources said the sum of six million naira was paid by the relations of the abductees, while others said, the amount paid is beyond that.
The freed abductees are currently undergoing clinical examination before they are allowed to finally reunite with their family members.
Currently, twenty-five others are still in captivity, and it was reported that the bandits refused to release them because money were not paid by their relations.
“We have tried as much as we can to get the entire abductees released but because their relations could not raise money to pay for their ransom the bandits refused to release them” a source told this medium on phone.
On the condition of the abductees, Mal. Garba one of the households whose relations were abducted told this medium that “the condition of the abductees is devastating; hence we were unable to identify some of them when they were released”.
“They were looking frustrated and the identity of some of them had beginning to change. You know, most of them are young and could not resist the suffering they were subjected to”.
Malam Adamu Wanzamai said, “I had to part away with my farmland to raise the money requested by the bandits and secure the release of my children from their abductors, it was really a terrible situation for us”.
Another source informed BBC Hausa service that, some relations of the abductees had to opt out their houses and farmlands to raise the money because they do not have option.
One most unfortunate part of the Wanzamai story is that a source confirmed that two persons among the abductees were killed by the bandits.
“They were killed while trying to escape from the hand of their captors, and we were equally informed that, the lives of the remaining twenty-five abductees were in serious danger.
“It was so unfortunate that we have lost two of our lovely relations to the bandits and our fear now is that, if we did not raise money in time and pay for the release of the remaining twenty-five persons who are currently in the custody of the bandits, they would face serious issues.
Last week, this medium and others reported that one of the abductees escaped from the bandits when they were sent to gather firewood by the bandits.
Wanzamai is one of the villages neighboring the popular Munhaye forest in Tsafe local government area of Zamfara state.
The forest is believed to be densely populated with the armed bandits who had been threatening residents and commuters along Funtua-Gusau road.
It is located in between Yankara Zamfara border town with Katsina right along Funtua-Gusau highway.
Wanzamai has for sometimes suffered various encounters with the bandits before they eventually entered into a peace accord with them a few years back.
As at the time of filing this report, the security agencies are yet to release any official statement regarding the Wanzamai issue.
