Malaysian kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf dies
A Malaysian who was kidnapped in the waters of Pegasus Reef, Kinabatangan on December 6, Jari Abdullah passed away at Zamboanga Hospital in the Philippines yesterday.
SANDAKAN: A Malaysian who was kidnapped in the waters of Pegasus Reef, Kinabatangan on December 6, Jari Abdullah passed away at Zamboanga Hospital in the Philippines yesterday.
Last Thursday, Jari, 34, from from Kampung Sim, Sandakan, was shot by Abu Sayyaf gunmen while fleeing in a gun battle between the cross-border criminals and Filipino soldiers in Sulu.
Jari’s wife, Nadin Junianti Najiri, 25, said the sad news was delivered by her mother-in-law who is now in Zamboanga.
“Yesterday evening, my mother-in-law went to Kota Kinabalu with her son and then to Zamboanga to see my husband and this morning at between 2 am to 3 am, my mother-in-law told me my husband had passed away,” she told Bernama.
Nadin said this was all she could share as there was no latest information on the arrangement to bring her husband’s body back.
“I am still waiting for their call as they are still making arrangement to send the body and I am still at a loss of the news,” she said.
In this regard, Nadin accepted the demise of her husband and wanted to focus on her three children aged between one and seven.
“Before my husband was kidnapped, he reminded me to take of the children as he wanted me to provide my children with education.
“I did not expect this was my last meeting with him as well as the last message from him,” she said in a choking voice.
Recalling her her husband’s message, Nadin said the matter really saddened her as that her seven-year-old daughter’s appeal to enrol in a school was rejected.
“My five-year-old son is in a kindergarten while the youngest is only one year old,” she said.
Apart from Jari, also abducted on December 6 were two Indonesians, Heri Ardiansyah, 19, and Hariadin, 45.
In a gun battle between the military and Abu Sayyaf kidnappers last Thursday, Hariadin was reported dead while Heri was rescued.
Meanwhile, Filipinos in Sabah, especially the Muslim community joined in mourning for Jari.
Extending condolences to the family of the victim, members of the Zambasulta Traders Association spearheaded by president Haji Faizal Salam Jamalul strongly condemned the acts of the perpetrators.
Upon learning of Jari’s death, Faizal on behalf of the association urged Manila and the newly installed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to further strengthen security at the border to prevent similar incidents in the future.
He also called on both the Muslim and Christian Filipinos residing in southern Mindanao, particularly in areas like Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Basilan including Zamboanga City to closely cooperate with the local authorities in the Duterte’s ongoing war against terrorism and heinous crimes like kidnapping for ransom where innocent victims were killed.
“I will call for an emergency meeting with my members to plan effective strategies to combat criminality and save properties and especially precious lives,” he pledged.
Faizal also wanted his fellow countrymen legally residing and working in Sabah not to hesitate to provide any information to the Malaysian authorities for the same reason.
“We should immediately forward any information to the authorities concerned (Philippine or Malaysia) like the presence of suspicious looking individual/ground, human trafficking, smuggling of drugs and contrabands and other illegal activities carried out in our respective communities,” the Taganak (Turtle Island,TawiTawi) mayoral aspirant stressed.
If given the mandate on May 13, Faizal said he would work closely with BARMM and National administration to further strengthen the security aspects in the region especially his municipality which is less than an hour away from Sandakan.
He reiterated that Sandakan is the best partner of Taganak to promote the tourism industry in both areas.
“I will work with Sabah to uplift the standard of living of my people and further preserve the existing harmonious relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia,” he concluded.