ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Government troops have taken custody of an Indonesian fisherman following his escape from the hands of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu.
Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, on Thursday confirmed that Usman Yusuf, 30, was now in the hands of the military but he had no details on the matter yet.
The Sulu Provincial Police Office reported that Yusuf was taken into custody when he was seen wandering in Barangay Bual, Luuk, Sulu around 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Police said Yusuf escaped from the hands of his captors in Bud (Mount) Bawis, Panamao and ran towards a residential area in Bual, Luuk.
Intelligence personnel of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-1 (MBLT-1) found Yusuf and brought him to Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in Barangay Busbus, Jolo, Sulu, police added.
Besana said Yusuf will be taken to the Westmincom headquarters and will be turned over to Indonesian authorities.
The ASG bandits seized Yusuf and his boat skipper, Samsul Saguni, 40, from a fishing vessel around 1 a.m. on September 11, 2018, near Gaya Island, Semporna, Malaysia. They were brought to Talipao, Sulu.
The names of Yunus and Saguni were not on the list of hostages that authorities had previously released since there was no confirmation they were taken to Sulu.
With Saguni on the list, there are now six hostages -- three foreigners and three Filipinos – still in the hands of the ASG bandits in Sulu. (PNA)
Indonesian hostage of Abu Sayyaf escapes in Sulu
By Ely Dumaboc
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