Imo Kidnap Survivor Recounts Beatings, Dirty Water and Garri in Captivity

A survivor of the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State has described how their captors allegedly beat them with guns and fists, restricted their conversations with family members and fed them dry garri with dirty water while they were held in a forest.

The survivor shared the account in an interview with BBC Pidgin published on Monday, recounting the threats and physical abuse the victims allegedly endured during their seven days in captivity.

According to the survivor, the abductees were allowed to contact their families by phone but were beaten if their conversations angered their captors. The survivor said the kidnappers used their guns to strike victims and also punched them with their hands.

The survivor added that the male victims were subjected to most of the physical assaults, while the captors appeared more reluctant to beat the women. The account also described the fear and uncertainty experienced by the victims as they were moved between forest locations.

The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. The attack occurred at about 6:30am along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area, where gunmen reportedly attacked two buses carrying the travellers.

The kidnappers reportedly demanded N50 million for each captive before the ransom demand was later reduced. During the search for the victims, police said operatives had identified the kidnappers’ hideout through drone surveillance but faced difficulties reaching the location because of suspected improvised explosive devices planted around the camp.

The survivor said the group had departed at about 9am and made several stops before arriving in Onitsha, where the driver informed them they would spend the night. The passengers had earlier asked the driver to continue the journey from Ore, but he reportedly explained that they needed to rest because the next stretch could be dangerous. After informing their families about the overnight stop, the travellers went to sleep and later woke up in captivity.

Describing their living conditions, the survivor said the captors provided dry garri and dirty water for food and drinking. The victims were eventually rescued on October 7 in a joint operation involving security agencies and were taken for medical examinations and treatment. The survivor credited the Department of State Services (DSS) with their rescue, while the search for those responsible for the abduction continued.