While My Mother Was on the Phone, The Kidnappers Kept Cutting Me So She Could Hear Me Scream—Victim

In a harrowing account that sheds light on the terrifying state of insecurity in rural Nigeria, a young farmer identified as Wisdom Amedu has opened up about the trauma he endured in the hands of brutal kidnappers in Ekpoma, Edo State.

According to a NewsVista reporter, the disturbing incident took place in March but only recently surfaced following renewed media attention.

Amedu, his pregnant wife, and their driver were kidnapped by a gang of armed men who stormed their home in the dead of night. The assailants—one of whom reportedly wore a Nigerian Army uniform—not only inflicted severe physical injuries on Amedu but also launched a psychological attack on his loved ones.

“I was pleading with them, but they kept beating me,” Amedu recalled in tears. “They stole my car and my landlord’s SUV. They dragged us into the bush, kept shouting that I must pay N20 million. I told them I didn’t have that kind of money.”

But the most disturbing part of the ordeal, Amedu says, was how the gang used his pain to manipulate his family. In a chilling tactic, they called his mother and made sure she heard him scream as they cut him repeatedly with a machete.

“They wanted her to hear my agony. They knew it would break her. She sent N1 million,” he revealed.

While in captivity, Amedu was reportedly injected with unknown substances, further compounding fears about the long-term impact of the torture. The kidnappers also used Point-of-Sale (PoS) machines to siphon money from the family’s bank accounts while holding the victims hostage.

Following a coordinated military raid, the victims were eventually rescued. However, the alleged soldier among the criminals managed to escape, raising serious questions about the infiltration of armed forces by criminal elements.

Amedu and his family are now in hiding, gripped by fear of retaliation. The trauma, he says, is far from over.

This incident once again highlights the fragile security situation in Nigeria’s interior communities, where law-abiding citizens are being preyed upon by organized criminal gangs—sometimes with alleged support from those meant to protect them.