Held for a Month: The Faces of Insecurity in Zamfara

A disturbing video has surfaced depicting two young women who have been held captive by an armed group in northwestern Nigeria for over a month. The footage, which has circulated on social media platforms, provides a harrowing glimpse into the physical and psychological toll of kidnapping, a crime that has become endemic in parts of Zamfara and Sokoto states.

The victims, appearing visibly traumatised, exhausted, and unkempt, were shown crying and pleading with the public and government authorities for intervention. The video was brought to public attention by Mrs. Aisha Al-Mustapha, an educator who posted it on her X (formerly Twitter) account. She identified one of the abducted women as her friend, Maryam, who was reportedly kidnapped while travelling from Zamfara State to Sokoto State to resume her academic activities.

The footage reveals the coercive environment of their captivity. At one point, an armed individual speaking Hausa can be heard taunting the captives, questioning their inability to speak louder about their predicament. The audio suggests the women were being coerced into addressing the camera, underscoring the performative nature of the video, which is likely intended to pressure families and communities into paying ransoms.

While the precise circumstances of their abduction remain unclear, it is reported that the victims have been detained for over a month. Their captors are believed to be part of the criminal networks that operate with relative impunity across the vast, forested terrain straddling the border between Zamfara and Sokoto.

In her social media post, Mrs. Al-Mustapha expressed profound anguish over her friend's extended ordeal and criticized the prevailing state of insecurity. "My friend Maryam has been in captivity for the past one month. Her only sin was travelling to go to school from Zamfara to Sokoto," she wrote. "It really pains me how banditry has been normalised and human beings are being priced like animals."

This sentiment reflects a growing frustration among residents of northern Nigeria, where incidents of kidnapping for ransom have surged. Students, commuters, and rural dwellers are frequently targeted by heavily armed groups, colloquially referred to as bandits. The North-West region, particularly Zamfaro and Sokoto, has witnessed a significant escalation in such attacks in recent years, despite repeated assurances from security agencies and government officials regarding efforts to curb the violence.

The video serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of this crisis. The two women appeared deeply distressed, with dirty clothing and faces swollen from the prolonged hardship of captivity. Their desperate pleas—"Please help us. Help us out"—echo the urgent need for effective measures to secure the release of countless victims and dismantle the criminal enterprises that destabilise the region.