A 22-year-old woman, Walida Abdullahi from Hadejia Local Government Area of Jigawa State, has narrated a harrowing account of how she was allegedly abducted, abused and exploited, before finally escaping into freedom.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, Walida, who said she left home in 2023 while still a Senior Secondary School 2 student at Jigawa State, recounted how she encountered a woman identified as Mariam while fetching water in her village, Anku.
According to her, the encounter marked the beginning of a troubling journey that took her away from her family and landed her with strangers
She said she was lured to a house where she met several other young women, all living together under questionable circumstances. During her stay, she alleged that unknown individuals visited the residence and engaged in sexual activities with the occupants without any form of payment to her.
Walida further disclosed that after falling ill, she was moved by the said Mariam to another town where she lived with Mariam’s husband, Abdullahi Isiyaku, and a co-wife. There, she claimed she was subjected to physical and emotional abuse, to the point that she was forced to assume a new identity, “Chinasa,” with Mariam posing as her mother.
Her attempt to escape, she said, was unsuccessful after she was intercepted and returned by a soldier she encountered on the road. She alleged that she was subsequently beaten, injured, and transported to Abuja by her captors.
In Abuja, Walida alleged, she was locked up in a house occupied by several women, where her movement was restricted until 2024, when she managed to escape.
The woman said her ordeal led her into wandering through unfamiliar areas, eventually finding herself along Airport Road, in Abuja, where she received help from one stranger called “Sir Rochy.”
Walidi stated further that she later ran into a man she identified as Ifeanyi, an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), whom she said assisted her with food, clothing and shelter. She disclosed that she eventually began a consensual relationship with Ifeanyi, resulting in the birth of a baby girl.
The situation, she stated, however, took a dramatic turn on January 1, 2025, when she, without reason, insisted on returning home. With assistance, she was able to contact her father, who had reportedly been searching for her for months.
Daily Trust reported that tensions arose when Walidi’s family members arrived in Abuja. On realizing that she had a relationship and a child with with Ifeanyi, Walidi’s relations demanded she cut ties with Ifeanyi and return home without her child. She further claimed that her uncle made disturbing remarks about her fate, which she resisted.
The case was eventually reported to security authorities, leading to her current stay at the DSS facility.
Walida, who insists she is acting of her own free will, stated that she does not wish to return to her family but prefers to continue her life with Ifeanyi. She also denied claims that she was coerced into changing her religion.
Sources close to the DSS confirmed the story, however adding that investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, alleged abuse, her personal safety in the light of alleged threat to her life by family members.
