Family of woman who gave birth in bandits’ camp cries to FG

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The family of a woman, who gave birth in bandits’ captivity, have cried out to Federal Government and Kaduna state government for assistance, as bandits demand N50 million ransom to release the nursing mother and her two sisters.

The three sisters were kidnapped on July 17, 2022, in Mando, on the outskirt of Kaduna, at their family house where they were tending to their sick mother.

Their mother, who could walk unaided before their capture, has now been confined to a wheelchair due to the trauma of her children’s abduction.

The eldest of the sisters, who was heavily pregnant when they were kidnapped, has given 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 is available in the bandits’ den in the forest.

Recounting the family’s ordeal, the father of the nursing mother and her sisters, Malam AbdulWahab Yusuf said the bandits broke into their Mando home at about 1:05 am that fateful day. “My two daughters used to take care of their mother who is sick. That day their elder sister, who was pregnant came from her husband’s house to look after her mother. The bandits broke into the house, I ran out and jumped the back fence but my three daughters were kidnapped and taken to the forest.

“They asked for N140 million, but now they have reduced the ransom to N50 million.

The family has been adversely affected by the trauma. My wife, who was able to walk unaided before the incident, now uses a wheelchair. We just carried out surgery on her. I have not been myself, I cannot sleep, once it is night I don’t know how my body feels.”