The anxiety, fears and apprehension of the people of Zamfara State, especially the family members of the abducted twin sisters, Hassana Bala and Husaina Bala, over the health condition and safety of the girls, turned into joy Saturday evening as the twin sisters finally regained their freedom from the hoodlums who abducted them over a month ago.
Already, one of the twin sisters had been reported to have fallen ill in the custody of their abductors, just as the bandits had issued a threat to eliminate one of the girls by Friday if the family failed to pay the N100million ransom demanded for their freedom.
The kidnappers have been communicating and demanding for ransom that is impossible for the poor guardian to afford and the authorities have been adamant, while the public is silent. Is it because they are orphans? Is it because they are not children of Nigerian ministers, governors, service chiefs or anyone in the corridors of power? Where is that Special Squad of the IG that had rescued the wife of the CBN governor, mother of former finance minister and other prominent people within 24 hours? Where are the gender and human rights advocates?
Although there was no official statement on the amount paid for the release of the two girls, The Point gathered that, apart from the five million Naira already raised by their family which was earlier rejected by the hoodlums, another eleven million Naira was added, bringing the total amount paid to the hoodlums to N16 million.
According to our source, Zurmi local government council, where the girls hail from gave the sum of five million naira, while Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, who is contesting for Governorship position under APC gave out the sum of six million naira as part of his contribution for the release of the girls.
Meanwhile, the people of Zamfara state and beyond have been jubilating over the release of the girls who were believed to have gone to their final destination and would never return to their hometown.
Similarly, hundreds of people have been trooping to their family’s house to rejoice with their family, while others are going there just to see the two pretty girls.
The Point had recently reported that Hassana and Husaina, who are indigenes of Dauran town in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, but residing in Gusau town, following the death of their parents, had gone on a visit to their hometown (Dauran) in order to meet with their family members to further discuss the preparations for their fast approaching marriage ceremony, when the incident occurred.
And ever since that day, no member of their family had set their eyes on the girls or even have an inkling of their whereabouts until their release Saturday evening. The bandits had earlier contacted the twin sisters’ family members and demanded the payment of N100million ransom or risk losing the girls.
The marriage ceremony for the twin sisters had been scheduled for the end of this month before they were kidnapped by the bandits.
Our correspondent gathered that in a bid to secure the freedom of the kidnapped twin sisters, their family members have virtually sold off most of their valuable assets, but they still could not provide even up to 10 percent of the ransom being demanded by the girls’ abductors.
Until the last minute efforts, following the death threat to one of the girls, both the state government and their local government area council could not offer any form of assistance towards meeting the conditions set by the bandits to set the orphans free.
A reliable source also revealed that one of the twin sisters, Husaina, had been seriously ill and in need of urgent medical assistance, which was, however, not forthcoming.
Another source also revealed that the kidnappers had sent a strong warning to the family that if they failed to settle the demanded ransom before Friday, they would kill one of the twins.
This sad development had been generating a lot of reactions from members of the public in the state, who are now urging the state government to immediately take some concrete steps to save the girls.
A concerned citizen, Alhaji Shehu Garba, called on the government and security agencies to wade in and take drastic action to save the twins.
“We appeal to the Inspector General of Police to deploy DCP Abba Kyari’s Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to Zamfara to rescue our twins and other abductees and arrest the abductors. It’s quite disturbing the molestation these little girls are undergoing; they are orphans and from a very poor family,” he said.
He stressed that the ransom being demanded by the girls’ abductors was quite huge, adding, “They now threaten to slaughter their victims.”
Garba, however, expressed the hope that the Intelligence Response Team, with the support of the Civilian JTF could strategically handle the matter and rescue the abducted girls.
He, therefore, advised the Zamfara State Government through the state Commissioner of Police to officially request the intervention of the Intelligence Response Team to come to the state to effectively fight the kidnappers and rescue the girls, concluding that, “things are getting out of hand”.
Another sympathiser, Bello Ibrahim Zauma, said, “I have just listened to a phone conversation with the abducted Zamfara twins. I am emotionally disturbed because Hussaina, who is already sick, is shivering and with terrified voice, told her brother, Ibrahim, over the phone that they are being beaten every day and they witnessed the slaughter of some people before their very eyes. With her voice slurred in her cries, she begged for the ransom to free them and her helpless brother tried to calm her that they have been trying to source for the ransom.
“One of the abductors interrupted her with the threat that they would kill one of the abducted twins. So, her brother should bid her goodbye”.
Another public commentator, Malam Shuaibu Mungadi, said, “These girls are twins and orphans. It’s over one month since they have been kidnapped while they were distributing their wedding invitation in Zamfara State.
“The kidnappers have been communicating and demanding for ransom that is impossible for the poor guardian to afford and the authorities have been adamant, while the public is silent. Is it because they are orphans? Is it because they are not children of Nigerian ministers, governors, service chiefs or anyone in the corridors of power? Where is that Special Squad of the IG that had rescued the wife of the CBN governor, mother of former finance minister and other prominent people within 24 hours?
“Where are the gender and human rights advocates? Where are you? God will not forgive those leaders who ignore the plight of these helpless, harmless and innocent children in the hands of those barbaric miscreants?”
To Abbas Bello, the girls are still there in the hands of abductors simply because they are not members of the elite class, arguing, “Class distinction is what is the order of the day in virtually everything in Nigeria.”
However, reacting to his critics who blame him for the security problem in the state as well as his inability to rescue the abducted girls, Governor Abdul Aziz Yari said he was not in control of the security operatives and expressed the belief that only state police could tackle the problem of insecurity in the country.
The governor stressed that the Federal Government should rather be blamed because it controls all the security operatives in the country.
“We don’t have our own police or soldiers, we have no power over them. So, how can anybody blame any governor over insecurity?” Yari said.
He maintained that if the governors were allowed to recruit their own police, the problem of insecurity would have since been a thing of the past.
“If we are allowed to recruit our police, I am assuring you know that it would not take me and other governors a longer time to address insecurity problems bedeviling our states,” the governor said.
He, therefore, advised the Federal Government to allow state governors to recruit their own police in order to end the rampant killing of innocent people.
Yari expressed total disgust over the persistent attacks and killing of people in the state, calling on the people of the state to embark on prayers for peace to return to the state.
To effectively augment the effort of the security operatives in the state, Governor Yari said his government had employed 8,500 persons to serve as civilian joint task force members and would work side by side with the security agencies in order to fight insecurity.
He explained that efforts were being intensified to rescue the twin sisters as well as others still in the hands of the bandits.
