An Ondo State graduate has shared his traumatic experience after spending 40 days in the hands of kidnappers who abducted him from his family’s farm in Kogi State, despite the presence of 15 security personnel at the facility.
The survivor, who spoke in an interview with Punch, said he never imagined such an incident could happen, particularly because an army base was situated close to the entrance of the farm.
Recounting how the ordeal began, he explained that he was riding his motorcycle into the farm one morning when he noticed that their tractor had been parked in an unusual direction.
As he moved closer to find out what had happened, several armed men suddenly surrounded him and threatened to shoot if he attempted to resist.
He said he had no choice but to surrender. Upon being captured, he discovered that three other people and the tractor operator had also fallen into the kidnappers’ hands. The operator had reportedly sustained a gunshot wound to his arm.
The gang subsequently marched all five victims into the forest, where they endured severe torture, repeated beatings, hunger and uncomfortable nights sleeping on bare ground.
According to him, their survival depended on whatever food they could find, including roasted maize, yam harvested from nearby farms and water collected from a river.
On the fifth day of their captivity, the kidnappers contacted their families and began demanding ransom. By the eighth day, they requested ₦15 million for his freedom.
However, the tractor operator was reportedly killed after his family failed to meet the ransom demand.
After spending 22 days with the first group, the graduate was handed over to another set of kidnappers, who demanded an additional ₦55 million for his release.
His mother eventually managed to raise ₦2 million, an amount the kidnappers accepted after 40 days in captivity.
In an unexpected development, an errand boy responsible for preparing food for the captives reportedly collected ₦15,000 from the ransom money before abandoning the kidnappers. He also left behind the key to the handcuffs used to restrain the victims.
The captives seized the opportunity, unlocked themselves and escaped from the kidnappers’ custody.
However, their journey to freedom was far from easy, as they trekked through the forest for three days before arriving at Isanlu-Esa, where they eventually located an army base.
Reflecting on the devastating impact of the incident, the survivor revealed that his family had been forced to borrow money to deal with the aftermath of the abduction.
He added that the family now lives in an uncompleted building following the financial hardship caused by the traumatic experience.
