Victims rescued from kidnappers along the Ojuwo–Ajengo–Memarebo and Ojiwo–Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State have recounted their harrowing experiences in captivity.
One of the victims, Joshua Daniel, said he narrowly escaped being killed after attempting to flee from the abductors. He explained that one of the kidnappers chased him into the bush and attempted to cut his head with a machete.
Daniel said he used his hand to shield himself from the attack, sustaining a deep cut that caused him to bleed throughout the night.
He said the bleeding eventually stopped after he applied herbs to the wound, adding that he was grateful to the security personnel who arrived and rescued them.
Another victim, Ngozi Stephen, disclosed that the kidnappers demanded ransoms ranging from N50 million to N100 million from the captives. She said she was ordered to communicate the ransom demands to other victims because she could speak Hausa.
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According to her, the abductors threatened to sell the captives to ritualists if their families failed to pay the demanded sums.
The victims were rescued after troops of the Nigerian Army, working with the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, local vigilantes and hunters, engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle.
The Army said the abductors fled into the forest after coming under superior firepower, abandoning their captives and some belongings.
A total of 16 victims, comprising six adult males, six adult females and four children, were rescued. They were subsequently taken for documentation and medical assessment before being reunited with their families.
The operation, however, recorded the death of a local hunter, while a police officer sustained injuries during the encounter.
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