Daud Olatunji
A recently rescued kidnap victim in Kogi State, Victor Anyichie, has recounted how he was severely beaten by his abductors after telling them that his family could only raise N500,000 as ransom.
Anyichie was among 16 passengers abducted when armed men attacked commuters along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.
The victims were rescued on Monday during a joint security operation involving personnel of the Nigerian Army, Navy, police and local vigilantes along the Ajaokuta-Anyigba road.
A local hunter was killed while a police officer sustained injuries during the operation.
Speaking at the Kogi State Police Command headquarters after his rescue, Anyichie said the kidnappers demanded between N2m and N100m from the victims, depending on their assessment of each person.
He said his refusal to meet the ransom demand angered the gang, who allegedly subjected him to severe beating.
According to him, the abductors told different victims to raise huge sums, including N70m, N100m and N50m, while demanding N2m from some children.
Anyichie said he told the gang that his family could only raise N500,000, after which the kidnappers allegedly turned their anger on him.
He said the gang repeatedly moved the victims between different locations, suggesting that the abductors were trying to evade security operatives and possibly had informants monitoring developments around them.
Anyichie said he noticed a red Toyota Yaris shortly before the attack and suspected that some of the abductors had posed as passengers.
He explained that the vehicle overtook their bus before another vehicle reportedly signalled their driver to move ahead.
According to him, when their driver attempted to escape into the bush, about six armed men emerged and opened fire.
He said three of the attackers were visibly armed, including one carrying an AK-47 rifle, another with a pump-action gun and a third with a pistol.
The victim said the abductors later moved the captives back to the area where they were initially seized, apparently unaware that security forces were closing in.
He said the operation eventually forced the kidnappers to flee, allowing the victims to regain their freedom.
Anyichie said all the passengers survived the rescue operation, although one passenger sustained a deep cut on the hand.
Another survivor, Ngozi Stephen, said the kidnappers demanded N70m from her and became hostile when she pleaded for a reduction.
Stephen, who speaks Hausa and served as an interpreter during the ordeal, said the abductors seized the victims’ phones and switched them off.
She said the kidnappers also threatened to hand the victims over to ritualists if they failed to raise the demanded money.
Stephen said she was not physically assaulted, possibly because the gang relied on her to interpret conversations.
She added that the abductors fled after hearing gunshots from the approaching security operatives, leaving behind bags containing phones and laptops taken from the victims.
She said the victims were later able to recover the items.
Another survivor, identified as Daniel, said he sustained a serious injury while attempting to escape shortly after the abduction.
Daniel said he saw an opening and ran into the bush, but one of the kidnappers pursued him and attempted to attack him with a cutlass.
He said he raised his hand to protect himself and was injured in the process.
Daniel said he bled through the night before the bleeding eventually stopped after he applied herbs to the wound the following morning.
He said one of the abductors identified himself as Peter, adding that members of the gang spoke Igala, Fulani and Hausa.
According to him, the use of different languages made it difficult for the victims to understand the conversations among the kidnappers.
Daniel expressed appreciation to the security forces for rescuing the victims but mourned the local hunter who died during the operation.
Police: Search continues for other victims
The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Bello Kankarofi, said the victims were rescued during a coordinated operation involving the police, Army, Department of State Services, vigilantes and hunters.
He said the operation took place along the Itobe-Achigili-Anyigba highway.
Kankarofi said security agencies had intensified efforts to track down the fleeing abductors and rescue other victims believed to be in captivity in the area.
The latest account has again raised concerns over the activities of kidnapping gangs operating along major roads in parts of Kogi State, particularly their use of surveillance, ransom demands and possible local intelligence networks to target commuters.
The successful rescue of the 16 victims has also highlighted the importance of coordinated operations involving conventional security agencies and community-based security groups in tackling kidnapping in the affected areas.
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