Freed former members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from Akwa Ibom State who were kidnapped in Zamfara last year en route Sokoto for their national service have shared the details of their traumatic ordeal in captivity.
The victims, who endured between two months and one year of captivity, described surviving on leaves and floodwater.
They feared for their lives, especially as female hostages struggled with severe health issues and unsanitary conditions.
Solomon Bassey Daniel, one of the abductees, spent a year in captivity after his family was unable to meet the ransom demand.
Meanwhile, speaking to Daily Trust in Uyo on Thursday, Daniel recounted his harrowing experience, including being tortured daily and going without defecation for months.
“I went through so much. I chewed leaves to stay alive and drank extremely dirty water. I was tortured from morning until night and could not urinate or pass stool for three months. I truly thought I was going to die,” Daniel said.
Labelled “the most stubborn” by the abductors for resisting their ransom demands, Daniel was moved from Zamfara to Kaduna by motorcycle through bush tracks. For months, he was guarded by over 10 heavily armed men until he was eventually rescued by security forces.
Another victim, Miss Victoria Bassey, expressed disbelief at her survival under the dire conditions.
“During our menstrual periods, we couldn’t even bathe. We drank floodwater just to stay alive,” she said.
Etim Bassey, another abductee, recounted how the bus they were traveling in was intercepted at a bad spot in Zamfara, which they mistook for a military checkpoint.
“The area was blocked with logs and manned by men in military uniforms, who ordered us into the forest,” he recalled.
The rescued corps members expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, NYSC Director General Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, Governor Umo Eno, and security forces for securing their release.
They appealed for employment and assistance from both federal and state governments to help them recover from their traumatic experience.
The founder and President of the Open Forum Care for Humanity Foundation, Mr Matthew Koffi Okono (MKO), supported their plea for job opportunities, urging the government to offer them employment to aid their recovery.
