A woman who survived months in the captivity of bandits in Zamfara State has narrated how she was forced to bury her three children and other victims who died while being held by the criminals.
The victim, identified simply as Aisha, disclosed that she spent more than six months in captivity after she and her children were abducted while travelling along a route in the state.
Aisha, who spoke during an interview with a Hausa-language media platform, said the attackers intercepted their vehicle, opened fire and whisked away passengers into a forest hideout.
According to her, life in captivity was marked by hunger, thirst, illness and repeated abuse, with many victims dying from the harsh conditions.
She said she was compelled by the bandits to bury captives who lost their lives, including her own children.
“They killed two of my children and ordered me to bury them,” she recounted.
The grieving mother added that her infant son later died from injuries allegedly inflicted by the abductors.
She said the bandits initially attempted to prevent her from burying the child, but eventually allowed her to do so after she pleaded with them.
Aisha recalled that her children constantly cried from hunger, thirst and physical abuse while in captivity, describing the experience as one that continues to haunt her.
The survivor said she eventually escaped under the cover of darkness alongside other captives.
According to her, they spent three days navigating the forest before finding their way to a nearby settlement.
She appealed to the government, humanitarian organisations and well-meaning Nigerians for assistance, saying she urgently requires medical attention and food support.
Zamfara remains one of the states most affected by banditry in the North-West, with communities frequently grappling with abductions, attacks and other forms of insecurity.