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. Their 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 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 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 indicated the incident was meant to sabotage the plan of other ASG members to surrender to the local government of Sumisip.
Almost a hundred members of the ASG surrendered to government authorities last year in Basilan province.