Freed Kogi kidnap victims recount ordeal in captivity

Two of the 16 commuters rescued from kidnappers in Kogi State have recounted their nearly 48-hour ordeal in captivity, including threats by their abductors to sell them to ritualists if ransom demands were not met.

Ngozi Stephen and Joshua Daniel were among the victims abducted on Sunday when armed criminals attacked commuters along the Ojuwo–Ajengo–Memarebo and Ojiwo–Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area.

The victims were rescued on Monday during a joint operation involving the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, police and local vigilantes along the Ajaokuta–Anyigba road in the Ofu area.

One local hunter was killed while a police officer sustained injuries during the rescue operation.

The rescued group comprised six adult men, six adult women and four children, who were undergoing documentation, medical assessment and reunification with their families.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Kogi State Police Command headquarters after their release, Ngozi said the kidnappers forced her to serve as an interpreter because she speaks Hausa fluently.

According to her, the abductors assigned varying ransom demands to the victims and made her communicate the amounts to them.

“So they told me, tell this person N50 million, tell this person N100 million, tell this person N70 million. That was how they were sharing it,” she recalled.

“So I would tell them, okay, this is what they said, this is the amount they said you should bring.

“Even me, they said N70 million. So even when I tried to plead and ask them to reduce it a little, they threatened to beat me up because they were beating people and all that.”

Ngozi said she was spared physical assault, possibly because she was assisting them with interpretation, but the kidnappers confiscated the victims’ mobile phones and switched them off.

She explained that the phones were occasionally returned to allow the victims contact their relatives and demand ransom payments.

“At some point, they were even threatening that if we were not able to provide the money, they would just sell us to ritualists and all that,” she narrated.

Ngozi said the kidnappers fled after hearing gunshots from the security forces, leaving behind a bag containing phones and laptops seized from the victims.

“We were able to get back our phones. We were also able to get back the laptops. Thank God. We are now safe,” she said.

Daniel, another rescued victim, said he sustained an injury while attempting to escape shortly after the group was abducted.

He said he noticed an opening and ran into a nearby bush, but one of the kidnappers pursued him and attempted to attack him with a cutlass.

Daniel said he raised his hand to shield himself, resulting in a deep cut to his vein.

“That is when the cutlass landed here and cut my vein. So, I was bleeding throughout the night,” he said.

He added that the bleeding eventually stopped after he applied herbs to the wound the following morning.

“But the bleeding stopped this morning when I got some herbs and put them on the wound before the bleeding stopped.”

Daniel said one of the kidnappers identified himself as Peter, adding that the abductors communicated in Igala, Fulani and Hausa to prevent the victims from understanding their conversations.

He expressed gratitude to the security operatives who participated in the rescue operation but mourned the local hunter who was killed during the operation.

Despite sustaining an injury, Daniel said he helped evacuate the wounded police officer from the kidnappers’ hideout to the main road.

“Even when I had this cut on my hand, I helped in carrying the officer from where we were held captive to the main road where we entered the car. My hand was swelling,” he added.