Four corps members who regained their freedom after they were abducted in Ifon, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, have recounted their harrowing four-day experience in captivity.
Naija News reports that the corps members were kidnapped along the Ifon-Owo highway while travelling from Enugu State after completing their mandatory orientation at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp.
During the attack, the vehicle’s driver and a female passenger were killed.
The abducted corps members were Adewole Paul Oluwaseun, Oluwadara Feranmi, Patience Andrew, Oribamise Taiwo, and Ajayi Lekan.
Speaking to reporters in Akure, the state capital, one of the corps members, Patience Andrew, described the harsh conditions they endured, including being tortured and surviving on only garri and contaminated water.
Andrew recounted, “We boarded a bus from Abia State to Onitsha, but our driver was slow. Another driver from the park directed us to a bus heading to Akure. We arrived there around 2 PM, but the bus did not depart immediately, so we left Onitsha park around 5 PM with nine passengers in a Siena bus.
“We arrived in Ondo State around 10 PM when our abductors shone a flashlight on the driver. He responded, ‘Oga, I no see you.’
“They shot the driver twice after he said that and killed the woman sitting next to him. Another passenger was attacked with a machete. Two people died, and we don’t know what happened to the man who was injured and fled.
“The kidnappers pulled us out of the vehicle and led us into the bush. We walked from past 10 PM until around 7 AM the next day through the forest.
“Our captors were five young men, all aged between 25 and 30. They communicated in Hausa/Fulani, with one serving as an interpreter.”
Andrew added, “We were tortured and only given garri and dirty water to survive on for four days.”
On the ransom payment, the 25-year-old explained, “Initially, they demanded ₦30 million per person, but after negotiations, they reduced it to ₦3 million each.
“Eventually, they settled on ₦1 million per person.
“We stayed in the forest throughout, hearing the sounds of dogs barking and cows moving nearby. We walked through farmland on our way out.
“Our relatives brought what the kidnappers demanded: 3 Hollandia yoghurts, 2 loaves of bread, one carton of Peak milk, one pack of malt, 5 bottles of Fearless energy drink, one pack of YES cigarettes, 10 packs of rice and chicken, and ₦1 million for each of us.
“We were treated at the Owo Area Command clinic before giving our statements.”
Oluwadara Olamide, a relative of one of the victims, described delivering the ransom: “They agreed on ₦5 million total. I was given a location and told to arrive before 10 AM. We reached Owo at 9:30 AM, but it took until 11 AM to make contact.
“They instructed me to take transport to Mobil, then two motorcycles, one for me and the other for the goods. We headed to Achiever Road at Ago Alhaji.
“I was warned not to alert the authorities, or they’d harm me.
“One said, ‘If you bring wahala, wahala plenty here.’
“We told the bike riders we were on an excursion. Upon reaching Ago Alhaji, we moved to Ago Pan, where a young man armed with a gun met us and directed us into the bush.
“I showed them where the cash was stored, and they took it.
“Soon after, the captors released the kidnapped family members.”
According to the state police command, the victims were freed after sustained pressure from the police forced the kidnappers to abandon them.
Police spokesperson Funmi Odunlami stated, “Officers from the Tactical Squad, led by Owo Area Commander ACP Olufemi Awoyale, continuously combed the forest with ongoing technical support, pressuring the kidnappers to leave the victims at Oyinbo/Sanusi Camp.“
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