VAM News Update

The dead body of a pregnant woman has been found three days after her disappearance in Tsafe local government area of Zamfara State.

The deceased identified as Naja’atu Abdullahi Umar, went missing on Thursday, September 7, 2023, after she went out for a hair braid in Tsafe town.

A family source, Malam Muhammadu, who confirmed the development to Radio Nigeria in a phone interview, said her corpse, which was found today, will be buried according to Islamic rites.

“She went into the town of Tsafe, I think, for a hair braiding in the afternoon of Thursday, September 7, but she didn’t come back. Her husband, Yahaya, was shocked, having noticed that his wife hadn’t returned at midnight. He raised the alarm and checked all the houses of the relatives and places where she usually visited but couldn’t find her”. he narrated.

He said It was believed that she might have been kidnapped as kidnappers attacked an area located on the outskirts of the town.

“This afternoon, a woman passing by around the area sensed an irritating smell. When she checked, she discovered a dead human body! She quickly ran and alerted the people in the area. It was finally discovered that it was a dead body of Naja’atu with many cuts and injuries around her body. Unfortunately, she was pregnant because she got married a few months ago,” the source recounted.

A wedding invitation card obtained by our reporter shows that the late Naja’atu Abdullahi Umar and her husband, Yahaya Adam Maimagani got married on January 14, 2023.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Zamfara State Police Command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident, saying that the Police are investigating the matter.

“We received the report. We don’t know the cause of her death, but we have commenced an investigation,” the Police Spokesman said.

Zamfara State had been grappling with security challenges for over a decade, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people.