Victims rescued from last Wednesday’s abduction involving a Benue Links vehicle have shared harrowing accounts of their time in captivity, describing days marked by torture, hunger, and inhumane treatment.
The victims were kidnapped along the Taraku–Otukpo road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State while travelling for various purposes, including participation in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
They regained freedom on Sunday after spending four days in captivity, reportedly due to sustained pressure from security operatives.
Governor Hyacinth Alia received the victims at the Government House in Makurdi, confirming that eight of them were UTME candidates, while others were regular commuters.
One of the victims, 18-year-old Gbenda Daniels, told journalists that the kidnappers robbed and brutalized them.
“They collected my ₦8,000. They beat us, and we didn’t eat anything; we only drank dirty water,” he said.
Another victim, Ngukulan Iornav, also a UTME candidate, said they were poorly fed during captivity. “They gave us garri and salt. I was thoroughly beaten,” she recounted.
Orih Raphael Sylvester, a medical student of the University of Maiduguri, said the abductors frequently moved them within the forest to evade security forces.
“We were taken into the bush and moved from one place to another. We didn’t eat anything on the first night because we were constantly on the move,” he said.
“On the second day, we survived on muddy water. On the third day, they gave us garri and forced us to call our families while beating us.”
Sylvester added that the kidnappers intensified ransom demands on the fourth day but later directed them toward safety as security forces closed in.
“Early Sunday, around 4 am, they showed us the way to the express road, where we later met military personnel. It was a horrible experience,” he added.
Another victim, Sunday Augustine, a student of the Federal University of Lafia, said he sustained injuries during the ordeal.
Akor Jessica described the experience as traumatic. “It was a nightmare. We were on our way to write our exams. They beat me with big sticks and machetes, but we survived,” she said.
Ransom Payments Revealed
A relative of two victims, Ochadgwuba Alexander, disclosed that the kidnappers initially demanded ₦10 million per victim.
“I personally delivered ₦3.4 million in cash along with supplies to the kidnappers in the bush,” he said, adding that he later contacted the military to assist in evacuating the victims after their release.
