N12 million ransom: Terrorists threaten to marry Zamfara girls if they fail to pay

Four females, including a student of Zamfara State College of Arts and Science Gusau, abducted by bandits six months ago, have cried out over a threat by their abductors to marry them off if they fail to pay N12 million ransom before the end of July.

The victims, Aisha Yahaya, Jamila Yahaya, Ummu Sani, and Hauwa Garba, were kidnapped along the Birnin Magaji-Kaura Namoda Road in Zamfara State six months ago.

They have been in captivity as their families could not settle the N12 million ransom demanded by the bandits.

The bandits now threatened to forcefully marry them if the money was not paid in the next few days.

In a two-minute 19 seconds video clip released by the bandits on Sunday, the abducted females are seen crying, calling for help from both the Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal and the general public to come to their rescue before they are forcefully married by the bandits.

The girls who are all wearing hijab looked seriously emaciated and were crying at the top of their voices, calling for urgent help for the settlement of the N12 million before the deadline as they did not want to remain with the marauding bandits as their wives.

They repeatedly appealed to the state governor to do something urgently to get them released and returned to their families.

They however blamed former Governor Bello Mattawalle who was in the picture of their predicament during his tenure but did not do anything.

Contacted for comment on the issue, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal on Broadcast Media, Press, and Public Affairs, Mustafa Jafaru Kaura, said he was travelling to Gusau from Abuja and promised to shed more light on his return.

He was still in transit as of the time of filing this report. Punch