Four corps members and an artisan, kidnapped along the Akure-Benin highway last week, have shared their harrowing experience after being held for four days in captivity. The victims revealed that their families paid a ransom of N5 million and provided various items to secure their release.
The demanded items included three packs of Hollandia yoghurt, two loaves of bread, one carton of Peak milk, one pack of malt, bottles of Fearless drink, one pack of cigarettes, and ten packs of cooked rice and chicken. The kidnappers initially demanded N30 million per person but later reduced the ransom to N1 million each.
One of the victims, Patience Andrew, described the incident, stating they were traveling from Abia State after attending the National Youth Service Corps Orientation camp. The bus they boarded from Onitsha was ambushed in Ondo State around 10 PM, where the kidnappers shot the driver and a female passenger. The victims were then forced into the bush, where they trekked for hours.
Andrew recounted that the kidnappers were five young men, speaking Hausa/Fulani, with one acting as an interpreter. The captives were given garri and dirty water once a day and were subjected to beatings. The ordeal ended when their families delivered the ransom, leading to their release.
