Governor Bello Matawalle on Monday received five daughters of a former accountant-general of Zamfara, abducted and held for seven months by bandits.

They were presented to Governor Matawalle by the assistant inspector-general of police, Zone 10, Bello Sani-Deljan, and the police commissioner in Zamfara, Kolo Yusuf.

In March, bandits abducted the five girls from their home in Furfuri in Bungudu local government area.

In October, the bandits released a video on social media showing the girls carrying sophisticated firearms. They threatened to turn them into bandits if a ransom was not paid.

However, a combined effort of the police and other security operatives led to the girls’ rescue, it was claimed.

Mr Matawalle commended the security forces for efforts made and urged them to end banditry in the state, noting that intelligence reports showed that the girls were abducted successfully with support from informants who were either family members or close associates.

The governor appealed to the public to “courageously fight informants by reporting suspects to the authorities without fear.”

He said, “Without informants, bandits will be strongly incapacitated and will easily be defeated.”

He directed that the girls be taken for proper medical checks and counselling before reuniting them with their family. 

(NAN)