Rescued Corps Member Recounts Death Threats in Kogi Kidnap Ordeal

A rescued National Youth Service Corps member, David Ayodele, has given a harrowing account of how he and other abductees were threatened with death after being dragged into a forest in Kogi State.

Ayodele was among 15 NYSC members and six other Nigerians rescued from a kidnappers' den in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

He said the ordeal began after he completed his orientation at the Bayelsa camp and boarded a vehicle bound for Abuja following his relocation.

"I did my orientation camp in Bayelsa camp," he said, explaining how he ended up in the vehicle that was later attacked.

"So, on our way from Bayelsa, because we did relocation back to Abuja, so we were going to Abuja from Bayelsa camp. There were organised vehicles going to different states, so luckily we saw an Abuja vehicle," he said.

He said their vehicle was intercepted along the way, and the driver tried to flee as the kidnappers surrounded them.

"Driver tried to escape, but he said, Who's the driver? Who's the driver? And I held the driver, then they opened the door, and they started leading us to the bush while they were shooting, you know, rounds of bullets in the air," he said.

As they were forced deeper into the forest, Ayodele said the victims were beaten and abused.

"Then we made our way to the bush with flogging and kicking and shouting and stuff," he said.

Once in a clearing, he said the captors made their intentions chillingly clear.

"We reached one kind of bushy area; they asked us to sit down, they asked us who would drink water, that we would be here for one month, so they would kill all of us," he recounted.

The kidnappers also warned the victims against attempting to escape, he said, describing the fear that kept them compliant throughout their captivity.

"They warned us that if anybody moved without permission that they will shoot the person, so none of us really attempted to move because of fear and stuff," he said.

Ayodele said the group was made to trek long distances through the bush before help finally arrived.

"So we moved a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot and then thank God the Nigerian Army came to meet us," he said.

He commended the security agencies involved in the rescue, including the military, police, the Department of State Services and local hunters, for bringing the ordeal to an end.