For water, he said: “That was worse. It was so hard to get water that if we were able to as much as get a drop, we were glad.
“And what kind of water are we talking about? Usually when we complained so badly and they came to a river, they would just scoop with two or three empty bottles of soft drink and shove them at us.
“It was from those bottles that the 25 of us would drink until we came to another river or stream.
“In between, there were days we went without a single drop of water.”
So did he really eat the raw cassava? Couldn’t he reject or refuse?
“No, we couldn’t. Anything they gave us, they made sure we ate or at least you must collect and pretend to be eating.
“So usually, I collected, hold onto it and later give it to somebody else when they’re not looking. But the roasted ones, I ate. Usually that’s when they made fire after rainfall.”
When asked how he manage to stay healthy under such condition?
He said: “Healthy, was I healthy?” he asked, provoking laughter on both ends.
“How I managed to survive despite the horrible condition we were subjected to still beats my imagination.
“You won’t believe it, I didn’t have malaria despite the mosquitoes, and I didn’t have catarrh. All the nine days, we were in the open, trekking, standing, sitting and sleeping. Not a single moment under a proper shelter, except if you want to consider trees as shades.
“We were under the rain for six straight days and nights, because it rained constantly those six days. And we had nothing to warm ourselves.
“On two occasions, we came to an uncompleted three-storey structure. Somebody obviously was building an estate there.
“Each time we came there, we heard sound of moving vehicles. Clearly, it was close to a major road, but we didn’t have any idea where it was.
“We also met another gang there, and from the way they interacted, it was clear they knew each other and what business they were into.
“Somehow, I never heard or saw any of my colleagues and the people from the other vehicle complain of diarrhea or stomach pain despite eating raw cassava and drinking river water.
“Even the trekking we did bare-footed. Again, I thank God I was able to pull through despite the injuries under my feet.
“Most of us were not able to come out with our shoes during the stampede that followed the attack on our bus. And those who had theirs on had them confiscated once they saw that they were nice shoes.
“So none of us wore any shoes throughout the nine days.”
Asked if they were beaten, he scoffed, and then said “beating was a constant, especially whenever they just finished speaking with our parents and they didn’t get the response they expected.
“They also beat us if we were not able to keep up with their pace.
“Usually, they dragged us like cattle, so they beat us the way they beat cattle to match their pace.
“Even when we matched their pace, they still beat us. I think they just wanted to subject us to traumatic treatment. I don’t know; it was hell!”
Asked if he gave up hope while they were going through all this or they were hoping to be rescued.
He said: “At a point, I thought it would never come to the point that I would be talking to anyone about it. Then there were occasions when I thought of escaping, as we were being led through the bush; but it wasn’t easy as they were very alert.
“Besides, they kept telling us that if anyone tried any mess or try to escape, he would be killed instantly. So I resigned myself to fate.
“However, the thought to escape kept coming to my mind, especially when we came to very dark places.”
“They didn’t have smart phones; that’s why. But later that same first day, they said we were being tracked through our phones, so they collected all the phones.
“They then took one of our SIM cards and inserted it in their phones. It was through that that they were calling out.
“Later, they told us they had thrown the phones away because carrying them along was dangerous for them.”
“Clearly, they were Fulani people. We got to know that by their structure, dressing and the language they spoke.
“From what I heard, they were also demanding N50 million ransom. Like I said, they normally got incensed and beat us every time they came away from the phone with our people without any sign that the money was coming soon.”
When asked how many females were among the captives, He replied: ‘There were four females; two from amongst us and two from the other vehicle.”
However, he said there was no sexual harassment of any sort on them.
How They Regain Freedom
How did they regain their freedom? The police said they were rescued. Was there a gun duel between the police and the kidnappers? Did anyone get hurt?
First he said, yes, they were rescued. Later he said the kidnappers let them go and showed them the way to a rail line from where they were able to contact the police, who now came to pick them up.
“One of us was able to successfully hide his phone. So when they released us, it was his phone that guided us.
“It was when we got to the rail line that we called and told the police to follow the rail line and that they’d see us. Already, the stones along the rail line had further made trekking unbearable for us because of our badly bruised and torn feet.”
On the initial reports that they were rescued by Police?
“I don’t know how to explain it. If they say the police rescued us, I’d say yes they did. But where we were, there was no exchange of gunshots or any kind of confrontation. Ultimately, I’d say God did his work. What I can say categorically is that the police picked us up at a point.”
Asked if he would consider the kidnappers human from the way they treated them, the young man answered in the negative.
“Of course they are not normal at all. But you know, however hardened anyone can be, they’d always have their sober moments when they realise what they were doing was not right or even be moved to pity.
“I observed that there were some of them who displayed their humane side, especially when we cried out for water, pleading with us to exercise patience, especially when they were not high on drugs.
“But there were some who shouted us down and even beat us up on those occasions. All through they were smoking all sorts of roots, hemp and drinking all sorts.”
