One of 85 Zamfara Abductees Escapes From Captivity

One of the 85 victims of Zamfara State abduction, Zainab Abdullahi, who were taken from Wanzamai village in Tsafe Local Government Area, has escaped.

She sneaked away from the bandits’ camp and returned home leaving 84 others.

Speaking to The PUNCH on the phone late Friday night, an indigene of the area, Abubakar Na’allah, said Zainab escaped on Friday night and has been reunited with her parents in the village.

Na’allah said Zainab was among the kidnapped girls who were assigned by the bandits to fetch firewood to cook for the victims in the bandits’ camp.

Explaining how she escaped, he said, “When Zainab and other girls went to fetch firewood, she (Zainab) decided to run away and was able to come back home.”

Na’allah said the young girl was hale and hearty even if she looked pale.

He expressed disgust over the refusal of the bandits to release the abducted persons despite the N3 million they collected from the Wanzamai community.

The bandits levied the Wanzamai community the sum of N3 million for the release of the 85 kidnapped victims but after collecting the money, they (bandits) insisted that an additional amount be paid.

The bandits have also insisted that the military personnel deployed to Wanzamai village should be withdrawn from the village.

However, the state Commissioner for Security, DIG Mamman Tsafe (retd.), told The PUNCH that the state government would not withdraw the military personnel attached to that village.

“We will not withdraw the military personnel no matter the pressure from the bandits,” he said.

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One of 85 Zamfara Abductees Escapes From Captivity