Posted by Samuel on Sun 21st Aug, 2022 - tori.ng
Mamu said one of the terrorists’ top commanders was said to be in love with the 23-year-old hostage.
Azurfa Lois John
The brother of Azurfa Lois John, a 23-year-old Nigerian woman who was taken hostage by terrorists, has cried out for help.
Worried by the latest revelation that one of the top commanders among the terrorists who kidnapped passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train was planning to marry Azurfa Lois John, her brother, Moses, has cried out to the Federal Government to help secure her release, saying that they are orphans.
Malam Tukur Mamu, who was hitherto leading the negotiation between the abductors and the Federal Government, raised the alarm on Friday that the youngest of the 23 hostages remaining in the terrorists’ captivity was at the risk of being married by one of the terrorists, like Leah Sharibu.
Mamu said one of the terrorists’ top commanders was said to be in love with the 23-year-old hostage.
Mamu said: “This is to alert the federal government and especially the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that I can confirm through credible information at my disposal that if urgent action is not taken to immediately secure the release of the youngest victim of the train attack, a 21 year old Azurfa Lois John, the abductors, as they have done in the case of Leah Sharibu, are planning to marry her any moment from now.
“One of the top commanders is said to be in love with her.
Lois’ elder brother, Moses, told our correspondent that the news of the abductors’ plan to marry their sister came to the family as a shock, as they fear for her future at the hands of the abductors.
Moses, who emphasised that Lois, himself and their two other siblings had since lost their parents, said they had tried to raise ransom to secure her release but they are financially incapable.
He however called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of their family by securing their sister’s release as soon as possible, so that her case does not become like that of Leah Sharibu, one of the Dapchi school girls kidnapped and married of by Boko Haram terrorists.
Moses said in a telephone interview with our correspondent: “My name is Bali Moses. Azurfa Lois John is my biological sister. We are four siblings, I am the most senior, and she is the only girl and last born of the family. Our father’s name is Moses, but Azurfa uses our grandfather’s name as her surname, that is why she’s Azurfa Lois John.
“We received the news of the abductors’ plan yesterday with shock. One, our parents are late. The abductors had before now reached out to us demanding for ransom, and because we are orphans, we could not raise the amount they demanded. They asked us to meet Malam Tukur Mamu for negotiation.
“They sent us message via voice note through WhatsApp and we responded to their message, pleading that we are orphans and we cannot raise the huge amount they asked for. We noticed they have listened to our message, but they never responded again since then.
“Now our fear is that we don’t what our sister’s case to be like that of Leah Sharibu.
“We want Lois freed. She is a young lady with a promising future.
“We want her to live her life with freedom as a law abiding Nigerian, so that she can fulfill her dreams.
“We are pleading the Federal Government to assist us to secure her release so that our sister can come back home as soon as possible,” he pleaded.