“JUST IN: Zamfara Abductees In Viral Footage Plead For Their Lives — ‘We’re Dying Here

Over 150 residents abducted by armed bandits in Zamfara State have appeared in a viral video, desperately appealing to the state government to initiate peace talks with their captors.

The distressing footage, posted on TikTok by a notorious bandit leader, Ibrahim Musa (@Ibrahim.Musa99), shows men, women, and children believed to be from several communities including Cogon Daji, Danabuce, Kuliya, Bayawa, Magulu, and Gidan Garduwa.

One of the victims, speaking in Hausa, gave a chilling account of their ordeal in the remote forest camp where they’ve been held for weeks.

“We are from Cogon Daji, Danabuce, Kuliya, Bayawa, Magulu, Gidan Garduwa, and other parts of Zamfara. We’ve been in this forest for weeks. While our leaders travel freely with their families, we’re here starving and suffering,” the abductee lamented.

He pleaded with the Zamfara State Government to consider their plight and engage in negotiations with the bandits. “We are human beings too. We are suffering. Please intervene.”

In what seemed to be a deliberate message from the kidnappers, the victim revealed that the gunmen have expressed willingness to dialogue but claim they have been continuously ignored by the authorities.

He added, “From what we’ve witnessed here, this crisis is largely due to poor communication and lack of understanding between the government and these armed groups. The bandits feel they are being looked down on—as if they don’t matter—but they say they’re open to peace talks. In our camp alone, we are over 150. Some camps have 200 or more. Others are too many to count.”