Anayo Makata, from Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Thursday, revealed his ordeal in the hands of kidnappers at Ogwugwu, a border community between Enugu and Kogi states.
Makata, 27, said he was abducted alongside six other passengers from an Abuja-bound Siena bus, which took off from Enugu.
He said they were held for four days and were given no food. According to him, “They were giving us dirty water from some shallow streams that cow dungs were often found in. At a time, we thought we would all die. They charged us N1m each. When nobody could pay, except one woman whose people came and settled hers two days after our capture, no other person could pay.
“We became afraid when they relocated us to the inner bushes, and told us that on the fifth day, we would be killed, and our organs sold. I understand Fulani to some extent. One of them called someone to come on the fifth day. I knew it was to kill us. They told us that they would show us the corpses of those whose organs were harvested. One of us cried, and they almost killed him.
“At a time, my brother, who I contacted, begged them to collect N500, 000. They agreed, and all of us reached out to our relatives. We regained our freedom on Wednesday night. I believe many missing people have been killed in such circumstances. I saw some abandoned shoes and shirts in the bush. The owners might have been killed.”
On the identities of their kidnappers, Makata said, “They are Fulani, but they never allowed us to look at their faces. They are slim generally. In the day time, we laid face down all through. If anyone wanted to ease oneself, the person was escorted by one of them. The way they handle their guns makes me believe that they are well trained gunmen.”
He expressed disapppointment that they could not be rescued by the Nigeria Police.
He said, “My brother told me that while they were borrowing money to settle the ransom, one of my relatives reported the matter to the police. But they could not rescue us. Police told my relative to be careful in negotiating the ransom so that we could regain our freedom without much delay.”
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