- Distressing video surfaces of Maryam and her friend crying in captivity after being abducted for over a month.
- The victims were reportedly kidnapped while traveling between Zamfara and Sokoto states for school.
- Captors in the footage are heard taunting and coercing the traumatized women to plead for their lives on camera.
A chilling video has emerged showing two young women, identified as Maryam and her friend, in a state of extreme distress after spending over a month in the custody of terrorists.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the footage, which has since gone viral on social media platforms like X, depicts the women with swollen faces and unkempt clothing, appearing visibly broken by the hardships of their prolonged captivity.
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In the video, the women are seen weeping uncontrollably and repeatedly crying out, “Please help us. Help us out,” as they address the public and government authorities in a desperate bid for freedom.
The plight of these women was brought to light by Mrs. Aisha Al-Mustapha, a teacher and close friend of Maryam, who shared the footage to draw attention to the deteriorating security situation in the Northwest region.
According to Al-Mustapha, Maryam’s only “sin” was attempting to travel from Zamfara State to Sokoto State to resume her education.
Her statement highlights the growing normalization of banditry in the region, where students and commuters are increasingly treated as commodities by criminal gangs.
“It really pains me how banditry has been normalized and human beings are being priced like animals,” Al-Mustapha lamented in her post.
The video also captures the chilling cruelty of the captors.
In the background, an armed man speaking in Hausa can be heard taunting the women, mockingly asking why they could not speak louder to describe their ordeal.
This psychological torture, combined with the physical state of the victims, has sparked outrage across Nigeria, as it underscores the impunity with which these groups operate in the forested areas straddling Zamfara and Sokoto states.
Despite the launch of new security hardware and surveillance drones by the Minister of Defence just days ago, the reality on the ground remains one of terror for rural dwellers.
This incident is part of a broader wave of violence currently sweeping through Zamfara.
Just this past weekend, several communities, including Dutsin Dan Ajiya in Anka Local Government Area, were raided by bandits who killed at least 50 people and abducted scores more.
The victims in the video represent the human face of a security crisis that has seen over 250 blocks reported nationwide and a surge in mass abductions.
Residents are calling for more than just reactive measures, demanding proactive military presence to secure the dangerous transit routes that connect the major cities in the North-West.
As the video continues to circulate, the pressure is mounting on the Federal Government and security agencies to track down the location of the captors and rescue Maryam and her friend.
The case has become a symbol of the daily risks faced by ordinary Nigerians who are simply trying to pursue an education or go about their daily lives.
For now, the families of the victims wait in agony, hoping that the public outcry generated by the video will finally spur the authorities into effective action to bring their loved ones home safely.
