This is Fatima Habu Usman, a final year student of the department of nursing, University of Maiduguri.
She was kidnapped on Friday in broad daylight, in the heart of Maiduguri, in front of the First Bank Plc shortly after she emerged from the bank where she had gone to deposit some cash.
She boarded a commercial tricycle popularly called Keke NAPEP to Baga Road, but unknown to her, one of the men in the tricycle brought out a white handkerchief and pretended as though he was having cough, but as soon as he touched her face with it, she passed out, only to find herself dumped at the Railway Bayan Quarters area, bathed with a substance suspected to be acid. That was around 1pm.
She was also disposesed of her android phone and other important valuables.
We visited her at the UMTH yesterday where she's currently on admission.
It's sad that an innocent young lady like Fatima, who is already in her final year at the university and looked forward to a better future, should be subjected to such cruel and inhumane treatment by criminal-minded Keke NAPEP operators in the state.
I will suggest that it is about time that the activities of Keke NAPEP operators in the state should be thoroughly scrutinised so as to weed out the criminal elements among them. Those perpetrating such crime may not even be from the state.
If this can happen during the broad daylight, one wonders what has been going on under the cover of darkness.
I learnt that many of such cases has been reported to the police in recent times, but the female victims and their families hardly open up because sexual assault is involved in most cases.
I also believe that there's a direct correlation between such crime and the abuse of drugs by youths in the society. No right thinking individual will commit such crime except being under the influence of drugs.
We pray for Fatima's speedy recovery. And may God expose the perpetrators of such crime in our society.
As shared by TJ Kareto
