A rescued National Youth Service Corps member, David Ayodele, has recounted how kidnappers threatened to kill him and 20 other abductees after holding them captive in a forest in Kogi State.
Ayodele was among 15 NYSC members and six other Nigerians rescued on Monday from a kidnappers’ hideout in the Ofu area of the state.
The victims were abducted while travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing their NYSC orientation programme and undergoing relocation.
Recounting the ordeal, Ayodele said the kidnappers stopped their vehicle, fired shots into the air, and forced the passengers into the bush after the driver attempted to escape.
He said the victims were beaten, kicked, and verbally abused as they were taken deeper into the forest.
According to him, the kidnappers later told them they would remain in captivity for a month before being killed.
“They asked us to sit down… they said we would be here for one month, so they would kill all of us,” Ayodele recounted.
He added that the abductors warned that anyone who moved without permission would be shot, leaving the victims too frightened to attempt an escape.
The victims were later forced to trek through the forest until security operatives reached them and secured their release.
Ayodele praised the Nigerian Army, police, Department of State Services, and local vigilantes for their role in the rescue operation.
The military said the 21 victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, were rescued from the Egume-Ochaja forest stretch in Kogi State. President Bola Tinubu also confirmed the rescue and said the victims were receiving medical attention before being reunited with their families.
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