Zamfara Kidnapped Ex-Corps Members: “We Ate Leaves, Drank Filthy Water to Survive”

A group of Akwa Ibom State graduates, who were kidnapped last year in Zamfara State while en route to commence their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) duties in Sokoto State, have appealed to the Federal and state governments for employment opportunities to aid their recovery from the traumatic ordeal.

Eight corps members, along with their bus driver, were abducted on August 17, 2023, in an ambush on the Zamfara highway. They were on their way from Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital, to the Sokoto NYSC Orientation Camp. The victims, who endured extreme torture in captivity, were released in batches, with Solomon Daniel being the last to regain freedom after a year in captivity.

Speaking in Uyo yesterday, some of the victims shared harrowing accounts of their experience and revealed they have been struggling with severe health issues and post-traumatic stress since their release.

Solomon Daniel, the last to be freed, recounted that he was held longer than the others because the kidnappers separated him for refusing to pay a ransom. His widowed mother was unable to raise the demanded amount.

“I was held from August 17, 2023, until August 22, 2024. I went through hell. I survived by chewing leaves and drinking filthy water. I was tortured daily from morning till evening and couldn’t relieve myself for three months. I thought I was going to die,” Daniel said.

Daniel, whom the kidnappers labeled as “the most stubborn,” described how he was transported on a motorcycle from Zamfara to Kaduna through bush paths, guarded by more than 10 armed men. He remained in captivity for several months until security operatives rescued him.

Another victim, Victoria Bassey, expressed disbelief at surviving the ordeal. “I never thought I’d make it through. Even during our menstrual periods, we couldn’t bathe. We drank floodwater just to stay alive,” she said.

Etim Bassey, another of the abductees, explained that the kidnappers had posed as military personnel at a supposed checkpoint. “Our bus was intercepted at a bad spot in Zamfara. We mistook it for a legitimate checkpoint because the area was blocked with logs and manned by men in military uniforms. They ordered us into the forest at gunpoint,” he said.

The former corps members expressed their gratitude to all those involved in their rescue, including President Bola Tinubu, the Director-General of the NYSC, Gen Yusha’u Ahmed, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, and the security forces. They also appealed for employment and other support to help them recover from the traumatic experience.

Matthew Koffi Okono, Founder and President of the Open Forum Care for Humanity Foundation, the NGO that mobilized the victims to share their experiences, added his voice to their plea for job opportunities. He urged the government to assist in alleviating their post-traumatic stress.

Okono further called for reforms in the NYSC scheme, stating, “The Federal Government should consider making the NYSC program more development-focused and safer, to contribute more meaningfully to nation-building.”