Rescued Ogun Student Shares Horrifying Kidnap Story

One of the students rescued from Gateway ICT Polytechnic in Saapade, Ogun State, has shared a chilling story. He said their abductors killed a man in the forest, showed them dead bodies, and warned they would be next if their families did not pay ransom.

The student, who did not reveal his name, talked about his experience in a video released by the Ogun State Police Command on Tuesday.

PUNCH Metro reported that the students were kidnapped on July 29 at their hostel near Ipara in the state.

The student described how they were taken. He said the attackers stormed their home, shooting their guns and moving from room to room. "We started hearing, ‘Lucas, open the door! There are kidnappers!’ So my friend and four others hid inside the toilet at the back," he explained.

He said the gunmen forced their way into their apartment and ordered everyone to lie down. They accused the students of being internet fraudsters. "They asked us who our boss was. We said we didn’t have a boss, that all of us are students. They said no, that we were doing Yahoo.

“They said they would take some of us, and if our boss had come, our boss would be able to provide some money to pay us out," he said.

The abductors tied their hands behind their backs and took them into the bush. There, they met another man. "On our way, we met someone inside the bush, a man there. They killed the man. They tied his hands behind his back, they stabbed him, and they killed him. They left him there," he claimed.

The student said the kidnappers then threatened them with a similar fate if they did not cooperate. He also mentioned meeting another abducted person called “Biggy,” who had been taken a day before their own kidnapping. "They abducted him on Tuesday, so we were abducted on Wednesday. We saw him there," he said.

The victims were taken deep into the bush, where they suffered from beatings, hunger, and harsh conditions. The student explained that the abductors moved mainly at night to avoid being caught, forcing them through forests and across about three rivers before reaching different hideouts.

According to him, the victims were warned against talking or trying to escape. Those who struggled to walk due to injuries were also beaten. The student said the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N30 million from each victim but later reduced the amount for some after talking with their families.

He remembered how the kidnappers took them to a forest and showed them bodies. They told the victims these were people whose families had not paid ransom. "They took us to a forest, and on getting there, the place was smelly. They told us that these were some people who did not pay the ransom, and they had killed them, and if we cannot pay the ransom, they will kill us and bury us here. So we were begging for our lives," he added.

The student noted that the group also threatened to bury them at that spot if their families could not raise the money they demanded. He said they received very little food and water during their time in captivity, with the kidnappers at one point giving them cassava flakes, known as garri, to eat.

He shared that the kidnappers watched for vehicles and motorcycles. Whenever they saw people approaching, they ordered the victims to lie down or move into the bush.

In the end, the victims were caught in a police operation. The student said the kidnappers tried to run away when the police attacked. He convinced one of his friends not to follow them and to instead move towards the police.

He said he was shot in the leg while trying to get to what he thought was the police. He pretended to be dead when the kidnappers returned to check on him, and they eventually left him behind.

"I was already getting tired. I was telling myself that I could not survive the night. Then I heard a policeman saying they should check if I was alive. That was when I knew they were the police," he recalled.

He called out to the security personnel, identifying himself as a student, and they rescued him and another victim. The rescued student thanked the police and other security personnel for their efforts. He said the experience changed how he viewed the police.

"I am very grateful. I am happy that I am alive today, even though I have an injury in my leg," he remarked. He praised the security forces for going deep into the forest to save the victims, calling the operation a sign of their commitment to protecting lives.