Kidnappers fed us garri with dirty water — Abducted corps member

An eyewitness to the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members has described their harrowing experience at the hands of kidnappers. The survivors, who were abducted on October 1 while traveling in Imo State, recounted being beaten, denied communication with their families, and fed garri with dirty water while held in a forest.

The abductees were allowed to make phone calls to their families, but any conversation that displeased their captors resulted in physical punishment, with guns being used to beat those deemed disobedient. Male victims were primarily subjected to physical abuse, while the women appeared to face less severe punishment. The group was initially taken to a forest, where they remained for some time before being moved to an even more remote location.

Their captors provided them with dry garri and dirty water for sustenance. The ordeal left the survivors traumatized and unable to comprehend what had transpired. The Department of State Services eventually rescued the 20 prospective corps members on October 7, seven days after their abduction, through a joint operation involving security agencies.