Zamfara: Abductee escapes, 84 still in captivity

One of the 85 kidnapped victims of Wanzamai village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Zainab Abdullahi, has escaped from the camp of the terrorists and returned home, while the remaining 84 are still in captivity.

Speaking to Sunday PUNCH on the telephone on Friday, an indigene of the area, Abubakar Na,allah, said Abdullahi was able to escape on Friday night and had returned to her parents in Wanzamai village.

Na,allah said Zainab was among the kidnapped girls who were assigned by the bandits to be fetching firewood for cooking for kidnapped victims in their camp.

He said, “When Zainab and other girls went to fetch firewood, she (Zainab) decided to run away and come back home.”

Na,allah said she was well and hearty although she looked pale.

He expressed disgust over the refusal of the bandits to release the abducted persons despite the N3m they collected from the community.

The terrorists had demanded that the military personnel deployed to Wanzamai should be withdrawn from the village.

The Commissioner of Security DIG Mamman Tsafe (retd.), told Sunday PUNCH that the state government would not withdraw the military personnel attached to the village. “We will not withdraw the military personnel no matter the pressure from the bandits.” Punch