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| Mr. Jato Ndarfa at the IDP Camp in Maiduguri. |
By Melvin Ibe, Maiduguri
A 75-Year old blind internally displaced person ( IDP ) at the CAN Centre IDPs Camp Maiduguri, Mr. Jato Ndarfa has been asked to pay N20 million ransom by suspected Boko Haram terrorists before his daughter and niece abducted by the insurgents could regain freedom.
Speaking yesterday in Maiduguri, Mr. Ndarfa said his daughter, Lami Jato, a 25 year old graduate of Sir Kashim Ibrahim College of Education Maiduguri and his niece, Renate Bitrus were abducted by the suspected Boko Haram terrorists two weeks ago alongside a tractor driver while in farm at tungushe village in Magumeri local government area of Borno State.
Tungushe which is along Maiduguri- Monguno road is 15km from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
He said when the terrorists made contact through the phone number of the abducted niece sister, they demanded N20 million ransom for the release of the two women and the tractor driver from their custody.
Speaking in an emotion laden tone with tears running down his cheeks, Mr Ndarfa said he has appealed to the Boko Haram terrorists to show mercy to him and release his daughter and niece, stressing that as an old 75- year blind IDP living in an IDPs camp shanty, there is no means for him to raise the N20 million ransom .
The blind old IDP who hails from Gava district of Gwoza local government area of Borno State said they fled to Maiduguri when the terrorists in 2014 raided the village and killed over 100 villagers and burnt down several houses.
The heart broken IDP said since that 2014 they have been living in the CAN Centre IDPs camp being that the terrorists are still hibernating in their village which is at the back of Mandara Mountain.
He lamented that the abducted daughter is his only hope saying that his three wives deserted him during the Boko Haram terrorists' attacks in their village to unknown destinations.
He said the daughter and the niece took to the farming job to raise money for family upkeep, adding that the abducted daughter had been the one taking care of him in the camp, being that nothing much is coming to the camp for sustenance of their livelihood .
He said:" It was two of them, my daughter, Lami Jato and my niece, Renita Bitrus who is married with two children that were abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists. It is 15 days now from the day they were abducted when they went for farming in Tungushe , along Maiduguri-Monguno road.
“Initially they were 7 in number at the farm that were abducted, five men , my daughter and my niece, but the terrorists later released four of the men and held one of the men , the tractor driver and the two women.
“Iam not fighting or quarrelling with the Boko Haram terrorists, they are my children. Iam appealing to them to please have mercy on me and release my daughter, niece and the tractor driver.
“Iam a poor old bind IDP living in a nylon house in a camp. There is no means of getting money to feed talk more of getting the N20 million to offer. Please my children pity me and release the women who are also your sisters.
“Iam also appealing to our hardworking Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum to come to my aid and intervene. I should be allowed to die of frustration from what Iam facing now. The situation is terrible for me here, " Mr. Ndarfa appealed in lamentation.
He equally appealed to the State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) and the National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ) to remember the CAN Centre IDPs camp in distribution of relief items, saying that it has been a while they have received food items in the camp. End
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