FROM THE VALLEY OF DEATH: A GORY EXPERIENCE OF FREED VICTIMS OF KIDNAPPERS IN NIGER STATE
A few weeks ago
, some passengers were kidnapped by bandits in Niger state. It was a sad experience as some of them were freed and alive to tell their stories while in captivity.
In response to a question by reporters, the freed passengers narrated that they slept in the same place with over 2000 cows in the forest and also drank contaminated water.
According to the victims, they trekked for many hours, traumatized and threats to their lives.
One of the freed passengers Abdul Kareem Abubakar narrated his traumatized experience in the den of these bandits:
‘’ The Fulani bandits were having about 2000 cows. As we were moving deeper into the forest, they continued to rustle other cows they came across. We were staying and sleeping with cows. If I sleep here, the cow will sleep next to me’’.
Also narrating her ordeal, Bunmi Oyerinde, a widow and caterer who lost her husband a year ago, said she was returning from Kontagora where she was hired to cook for an event before the unfortunate incident. According to her, they were seriously starved and drank water from the same river used by the cows.
‘’On the first day, we slept under the mango tree separated from men. The cold in the area is like an ice-block. None of us was able to sleep till daybreak. When the day broke, they heard sound of aeroplane, and they asked us to run, then, they took us to another bush which they cleared for us to sit. They asked us to lie down and we were hungry. They went to the river which their cows also drink from to fetch water and they gave ten of us to share one Ragolis bottle.’’. After sharing the water, if anyone stood up, they would put the gun on the person’s head and threatened to kill him or her. We begged them to allow us to call our relatives because they seized our phones,’’ she concluded.