A rescued member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), David Ayodele, has recounted the frightening experience he and other abductees allegedly endured after gunmen intercepted their vehicle and forced them into a forest in Kogi State.
Ayodele, who was among 15 corps members and six other victims rescued from the kidnappers’ hideout in Ofu Local Government Area, said their captors threatened to keep them in captivity for one month before killing them.
The corps member said the group was travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing the NYSC orientation course and securing relocation when their vehicle was intercepted by armed men.
According to Ayodele, the driver initially attempted to escape after the attackers emerged, but the occupants were eventually forced out of the vehicle and marched into the bush amid gunshots.
He said the abductees were subjected to physical assault during the journey into the forest, recalling that they were kicked, flogged and shouted at by their captors.
Ayodele said the threats became even more frightening after the victims arrived at a heavily forested location, where the kidnappers allegedly warned that they could remain in captivity for a month before being killed.
He said the abductees were also warned against attempting to move without permission, with the kidnappers threatening to shoot anyone who disobeyed their instructions. The warnings, he said, left the victims too frightened to attempt an escape.
The corps member further disclosed that the victims were forced to move repeatedly through the forest for long distances before security forces eventually located them.
“So we moved a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot and then thank God the Nigerian Army came to meet us,” Ayodele said while recounting the operation.
He expressed appreciation to the security agencies and other groups involved in the rescue operation, including the Nigerian Army, the police, the Department of State Services and local hunters.
Ayodele explained that he had completed his orientation programme at the Bayelsa NYSC camp and was travelling to Abuja alongside other relocated corps members when the abduction occurred. He said organised vehicles were conveying corps members to different destinations, and he joined one travelling towards Abuja.
The rescue has brought relief to families and colleagues of the victims after days of concern over their safety.
The incident, however, has renewed concerns about the security of corps members and other travellers moving across Nigerian highways, particularly along routes where armed criminal groups have continued to target commuters.
The account provided by Ayodele offers a disturbing glimpse into the conditions the abductees allegedly faced during their captivity, including threats, physical abuse and prolonged movement through the forest before the security operation that led to their rescue.
