Few hours to deadline, police, SSS, others silent on kidnapper’s threat to kill pregnant woman

Few hours to the deadline set by her abductors to execute Sumayya Abubakar, the Zamfara State goverment and security agencies are yet to comment on the issue.

There is also no indictaion that any of the security agencies are making any efforts to avert the murder of Mr Abubakar.

The abductors Tuesday morning in a telephone conversation with Ms Abubakar ’s father, Abubakar Yusuf, gave a 48-hour ultimatum to execute her if their demand of N20 million in ransom was not met within 24 hours.

Perhaps to show their determination to carry out their threat, the kidnappers told Mr Yusuf they had killed 20-year-old Surajo Umar, a neighbour to Mr Yusuf, who was also in their custody.

Ms Abubakar and Mr Umar were abducted in October alongside four others in Zurmi, a village in Dauran town in Zamfara State. The four others have been released after payment of ransom by their relatives, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.
On Wednesday evening, the Zamfara State Governor’s spokesperson, the police commissioner in Zamfara and the spokesperson of the State Security Service (SSS) failed to respond to questions sent to them as follow up to an earlier publication by this newspaper.

They did not respond to both text messages and calls put to them.

In separate telephone interviews, the abductee’s parent and the Deputy Vice Chairman of Zurmi Local Government of the state, Abubakar Muhammed, both said they had not received any help from any security agencies or the state government.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how two of the victims, twin sisters, were released in November after payment of ransom to the kidnappers by the victims’ relatives.

The abductors threatened to kill them after the girls’ family said they could not raise the N15 million ransom the criminals demanded, but reports said the kidnappers later reduced the amount.

In an audio clip that went viral, one of the twins was heard pleading for help from both the government and the general public, saying some kidnapped victims, whose families could not pay the ransom to free them, were slaughtered in their presence.

Donations from a senator, Kabiru Marafa, the chairman of Zarmi local government, Awwal-Bawa Moriki; and crowdfunding on social media, aided their release.

Two other victims said to be nine and ten years old brothers were also reportedly released after payment of ransom.

This newspaper has reported how communities in Zamfara State had suffered attacks by bandits in the past year.

These have caused hundreds of deaths as well as the kidnap of several persons.

The attacks have continued despite the deployment of thousands of security operatives to the state.

Apart from the killing and kidnapping civilians, the bandits have also attacked security officials, killing dozens of police officers and soldiers.