BY GODDY OBINWA
Bandits who kidnapped three sisters in July in Kaduna, including a pregnant housewife who was put to bed in captivity, have threatened to kill the hostages, including the newborn, if the family fails to pay N50 million ransom in two days.
The embattled nursing mother, Zainab Yusuf Mohammed, had, in early September, given birth to a baby girl in the forest. The family of the abductees made the disclosure to journalists in Kaduna, yesterday, and cried out to government and good spirited Nigerians to come to their aid, as they could only raise N6.5 million, which was rejected by the bandits.
It was earlier reported that the three sisters were kidnapped on July 17, 2022 in Mando, on the outskirts of Kaduna, at their family house where they were taking care of their sick mother. It was, however, gathered that their mother, who could walk unaided before the kidnap of her three daughters, has now been confined to the wheelchair due to the trauma.
Brother of the kidnap victims, Kabir Yusuf, who has been the one negotiating with the abductors, said he had begged the abductors and told them that the family had sold everything they had to raise N6.5 million, but the bandits rejected it.
He said one of her sisters, Zainab, who was heavily pregnant when they were kidnapped, gave birth in captivity without recourse to medical or human care for both mother and child, as they were subjected to harsh weather conditions eating and drinking whatever was available in the bandits’ den in the forest.
Yusuf said: “Since the kidnap, we have been negotiating with them. The bandits initially demanded N140 million, but we pleaded with them that we are poor people, so they reduced it to N100 million. We pleaded with them further and they later reduced it to N50 million and threatened that if we don’t have the N50 million ready, we should not call them again.
“My sisters lamented to me on Sunday that they were being maltreated, adding that the bandits commander wanted to leave the camp and may not return until after a while, so we should talk to them. But I told them that we have sold everything we have, and what we raised is not tangible and we don’t have anything to sell again, they started crying and I broke down crying too.
“Now, the disturbing development is that, on Sunday, when I spoke to the kidnappers, I pleaded with them to release my sisters and the new baby, that we have only been able to raise N6.5 million. But they started insulting me and said if we don’t bring N50 million in the next two days, they will kill my sisters and the new baby.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government, Kaduna State government, charity organisations, philanthropists and well spirited individuals to assist us in securing their release. We don’t want anything to happen to them.
If anything happens to them, only God knows what effect it would have on our mother, who is now in a wheelchair because of their abduction,” he said.
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