‘We’re Fed With Grass’; Freed Corps Members Reveals
Three corps members from Akwa Ibom, kidnapped in Zamfara on their way to their one-year national service, shared their harrowing experiences in their kidnappers’ den.
The victims spent between two months and one year in captivity, enduring physical and emotional torture, including being fed grass and drinking flood water.
Their ordeal began on August 17, 2023, when their vehicle was ambushed along Gusau road, Zamfara.
The kidnappers, disguised in military camouflage and insignia, took them into the forest, where they stayed together with no shelter, sleeping on rice sacs and seeking cover under tree shades during rain.
The corps members witnessed wild animals, killed snakes and scorpions, and were forced to drink flood water.
One of them, Solomon, was singled out, beaten, and taken to Kaduna, where he spent three months without proper medical care.
The victims expressed gratitude to the government, NYSC, and security operatives for securing their freedom. They pleaded for employment in the civil service or other rewarding establishments.
Unfortunately, kidnapping and ransom demands are not uncommon in Nigeria. Another incident involved Ondo corps members who were kidnapped and released after paying N5 million ransom.
