Zainab Abdullahi, one of the 85 people taken hostage in Zamfara State’s Tsafe Local Government Area’s Wanzamai village, managed to escape the robbers’ camp and make it back home.
The remaining 84 are still held captive.
Zainab escaped on Friday night and has been reunited with her parents in the village, according to Abubakar Na’allah, a local.
According to Na’allah, Zainab was one of the abducted girls who was tasked by the bandits to go get firewood so they could cook for the victims at 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 well and hearty although she looked pale.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the robbers’ failure to free the kidnapped people despite receiving N3 million from the Wanzamai community.
Recall that the bandits demanded N3 million from the Wanzamai village in exchange for the release of the 85 victims who had been abducted, but after receiving the money, they insisted on receiving another quantity of money.
Additionally, the bandits have asked that the military men stationed in Wanzamai hamlet be evacuated.
However, the state administration would not order the military forces stationed in that village to be removed, according to DIG Mamman Tsafe (retired), the state commissioner for security.
“We will not withdraw the military personnel no matter the pressure from the bandits,” he said.
