Sabah cop abducted by suspected Abu Sayyaf ill with malaria – report

A policeman abducted in Sabah by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen and brought to Mindanao last year is said to be ill with malaria, a Malaysian news site reported Thursday.

 

Marine Police personnel Konst Zakiah Aleip is believed to be in an Abu Sayyaf jungle hideout in Jolo, Malaysia's The Star Online reported.

 

“He appears to be suffering from malaria. I am told he also complained of diarrhea,” the report quoted anti-kidnapping activist Prof. Octavio Dinampo as saying.

 

Zakiah was abducted July 12 last year, following an attack on a Marine Police unit at Pulau Mabul off Semporna district.

 

His colleague Kpl Ab Rajah Jamuan was killed during the incident.

 

Dinampo, a lecturer at Mindanao State University, also said the abductors have so far been unable to bring in a doctor to treat Zakiah, 26.

 

He also said Zakiah had been moved at least twice over the past several weeks.

 

On the other hand, the report said Zakiah’s wife Sharifah Erna Berson declined to comment on the condition of her husband. — Joel Locsin/RSJ, GMA News