A Nigerian student, Onoja Joseph, has shared an account of his escape from kidnappers in Kogi State, revealing not only the traumatic experience of the abduction but also the exposing the partnership of some unfaithful locals with kidnappers.
Joseph was abducted with other passengers while travelling in an 18-seater bus from Owo to Abuja. He was on his way to resume his Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) program when the bus was ambushed and the captives were marched into the forest, with guns pointing towards them.
Joseph recounted being forcefully marched for about three hours through difficult terrain, crossing up to seven rivers, as the kidnappers pushed them deeper into the bush.
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He managed to hide in the bush as night fell and the kidnappers momentarily relaxed their guard. After hiding until the coast was clear, he sought refuge in a nearby village.
Upon reaching a nearby village, he approached three men who pretended to offer aid. However, Joseph, who understood some of the local Kabba language, realized they were in communication with the kidnappers, questioning how a victim had been allowed to escape
Realizing his life was still in danger, Joseph used a request to use the toilet as a pretext to escape from the men’s sight. While fleeing, he witnessed the men’s wives praising them.
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Joseph’s escape and his testimony exposes the reality of the security crisis along the Kogi axis, a major transit route that has witnessed repeated incidents of kidnapping for ransom in recent months.
The incident occurs amid escalating tension across Nigeria, which recently led President Tinubu to declare a national security emergency.
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