By
Teofilo Garcia, Jr
January
5, 2018
ZAMBOANGA
CITY -- A member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) executed a couple by beheading
in a remote area of Basilan province, a top police official disclosed Friday.
Senior
Supt. Nickson Muksan, Basilan police director, identified the victims as
Abdurahim Kitoh and his wife, Nadzwa Bahitla, whose decapitated remains were
found one after the other.
Muksan
said the remains of Nadzwa was found by militiaman Ibrahim Wahab at around 4:30
p.m. Thursday at Sitio Diangan, Barangay Mahatalang, Sumisip.
Muksan
said Wahab, who was off-duty, heard five successive gunshots in the vicinity of
Ismael Elementary School in Diangan that prompted the militiaman to verify.
“Upon
verification, he found out a lifeless female body lying and decapitated,”
Muksan added.
He
said that the decapitated remains of Nadzwa’s husband, Abdurahim, was recovered
also near the school at around 7 p.m. Thursday.
He
said investigation showed that the suspect behind the couple’s beheading was
Mahim Mustalim, an ASG member and half-brother of Abdurahim.
Mustalim
belongs to the group of Usop Sandalan, a sub-leader of ASG leader Rhadsmil
Janatul.
Muksan
said information gathered that the motive of the incident was to sabotage the
plan of other ASG members to surrender to the local government of Sumisip.
