A survivor of the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State has recounted how their captors allegedly beat them, restricted their communication with family members and fed them dry garri with dirty water while they were held in a forest.
The survivor, speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin, said the abductees were allowed to call their families but were beaten whenever their conversations displeased the kidnappers. The captors allegedly used their hands and guns to assault some of the victims, particularly the men.
Describing their living conditions, the survivor said they had no choice but to consume dry garri and muddy water to survive. The experience, the victim added, was frightening and difficult to comprehend.
The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Gunmen reportedly attacked two buses conveying the travellers along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The kidnappers allegedly demanded N50m for each victim before the amount was later reduced. Security agencies launched a search-and-rescue operation, with police reportedly using drone surveillance to locate the kidnappers’ hideout.
The victims were rescued on October 7 in a joint operation involving security agencies and were taken for medical examination and treatment. The survivor credited the Department of State Services with playing a key role in their rescue, while efforts to apprehend the kidnappers continued.
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