Our driver was shot in the face, suddenly herdsmen came out from the bush and held us captive-Kidnap Victim
According to a NewsVista reporter, a chilling first-hand account has emerged from a kidnap victim, Edafe Ofoluwa, who endured seven terrifying days in the hands of armed abductors along the Abuja–Asaba route in Kogi State. He recounted the horror of the March 5th attack, where their bus was ambushed just minutes away from a military checkpoint.
“We boarded an 18-seater Amore of God Transport Service vehicle near Gwagwalada,” he explained. “Just after passing Lokoja, close to an army checkpoint, our driver was suddenly shot in the face. The bus veered into the bush, and before we could react, Fulani men came out of nowhere, captured us, and tied our hands.”
Ofoluwa described how the group of kidnappers—some armed with rifles and others with machetes—forced the hostages to march day and night through forests and hills. “They beat us constantly, made us drink dirty water, and warned that anyone who collapsed would be killed. I even had to drink my own urine to stay alive,” he revealed.
He added that the torture slightly eased by the third day after his family informed the abductors that they had raised ₦4 million for ransom, but the kidnappers kept pressing for more. After a week of brutal captivity, the remaining seven hostages were eventually released near the Dangote plant in Obajana once the ransom was paid in a single transaction.
Ofoluwa believes the kidnappers had a fixed location arranged for ransom collection, noting that they were not kept in one place but constantly moved toward a bushy area in Abajana. “They clearly had a plan,” he said.
His story adds to growing fears about the worsening state of insecurity on Nigeria’s highways, particularly in regions where armed gangs now operate with impunity.
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