One of di people wey kidnappers carry for Imo State don narrate di suffering wey dem and oda victims face for bush, as e talk say dia captors dey beat dem with gun and hand, control dia calls to family and give dem dry garri with dirty water to survive.
Di survivor give dis account for interview with BBC Pidgin wey dem publish on Monday. E explain say di kidnappers allow dem call dia family, but if any family member talk wetin vex di kidnappers, dem go beat di person wey dem hold.
According to di survivor, di kidnappers fit use gun hit anybody wey dem feel say don talk wetin dem no like. E add say na mostly di men dem dey beat with hand, while di kidnappers appear to dey fear small to beat di women.
Di 20 people wey dem kidnap na prospective members of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Gunmen abduct dem on October 1 as dem dey travel from Ibadan, Oyo State, go dia orientation camps for Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
Di attack happen around 6:30am along Owerri-Onitsha Road, near Umunoha for Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. Di gunmen attack two buses wey carry di travellers. Di kidnappers reportedly demand ₦50 million for each person before dem later reduce di amount.
As security operatives dey search for di victims, police talk say dem use drone locate di kidnappers’ hideout. But suspected explosive devices wey dem plant around di camp make e difficult for security personnel to reach di place.
Security agencies later increase di search-and-rescue operation by sending more personnel and equipment to di area. On October 7, dem rescue all di victims for joint operation involving different security agencies. After dem free dem, dem take di victims go for medical checks and treatment.
As di survivor dey explain how di journey take start, e talk say dem leave Ibadan around 9am and stop for different places before dem reach Onitsha. Na there dia driver tell dem say dem go spend di night.
Di survivor say earlier, when dem reach Ore, di passengers don ask di driver make dem continue di journey so dem no go delay. But di driver explain say dem need rest for Onitsha because di next part of di journey fit dangerous.
Dem inform dia family say dem go sleep for Onitsha before dem lie down. But according to di survivor, na when e wake up na im di attack happen and dem find themselves inside kidnappers’ hand.
Di survivor explain say dem first keep dem for one forest before dem later move dem go another deep forest wey e no sabi.
As e describe wetin dem dey chop, di survivor say na dry garri and dirty water wey look like mud dem dey give dem. E explain say di water dirty reach point wey e no fit wish even im enemy make e drink am, but dem had no choice because dem need survive.
Di survivor say di whole experience shock dem well-well, and e find am difficult to understand wetin dey happen as dem dey face di suffering for captivity.
