iDeemlawfulOne of the kidnapped victims, identified as Onoja Joseph, has shared a harrowing account of how he escaped from kidnappers in Kabba, Kogi State, after he and other passengers were abducted while travelling in an 18-seater bus from Owo to Abuja.
Joseph, who was on his way to resume his SIWES programme, said the attackers ambushed their vehicle, forcing everyone into the bush at gunpoint. He recounted that the captives were marched for hours through difficult terrain.
He said “We crossed like seven rivers,” describing how the kidnappers kept pushing them deeper into the forest for nearly three hours. Joseph explained that he managed to escape when night began to fall.
He added that he escaped by hiding in the bush until the kidnappers left. However, when he approached a nearby village for help, he encountered three men and initially thought he was safe.
However, the men questioned him and reportedly contacted the kidnappers, asking how they let someone escape from their operation. Luckily for him, Joseph said he understood bits of their conversation, which was in the Kabba language, and realised he was in further danger.
He narrated that the men asked him to sit and wait, but he requested to use the toilet but escaped from their view.
While escaping, he said he saw some of the men’s wives praising them for their actions. Joseph eventually made it to safety and is now recounting his experience as security concerns continue to rise across the Kogi axis, a route that has witnessed repeated incidents of kidnapping in recent months.
He said, “My name is Onoja Joseph. I’m coming from Owo to Abuja for my SIWES. We were inside 18 seater bus when the incident happened. We were marched inside the bush. For 3 hours we crossed different types of rivers.
“We crossed like 7 rivers. How I escaped was that when I saw everywhere getting dark, I managed to hide myself inside a bush. When I later I came out I saw 3 men in a village and I thought I was safe.
“They asked where I was coming from and then started calling the band!ts asking them why they allowed someone to escape from the operation.
They were speaking the Kabba language but I understood a little of it. They told me to sit down and wait, but I told them I needed to use the toilet, that was how I ran away. As we were going we saw their wife who were telling them ‘weldone.”
Watch him speak below:
Kidnapping has been on the rise in Nigeria in recent weeks, sparking tension in the country as the government battles to stem the tide. President Tinubu later declared a national security emergency.
