According to Punch Newspaper, a businessman, Emmanuel Nyamson, has recounted his harrowing experience after spending nine months in captivity following his abduction by kidnappers in Niger State.
Nyamson disclosed that no fewer than 18 victims were killed by the abductors during the period he spent in the kidnappers’ den.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the Kaduna State-born businessman narrated how he was kidnapped in October 2024 while returning from his farm near the Army barracks in Kontagora, Niger State.
According to him, he had travelled to the area for a construction contract involving the remodelling of soldiers’ houses at the barracks.
Recounting the incident, Nyamson explained that the kidnappers had laid an ambush on the road after allegedly targeting foreign contractors working on a road project between Tegina and Kontagora.
He said, “I went there in the morning to pay my labourers on my maize farm. On my way back, I didn’t know the kidnappers had already blocked the road. They picked another man and me on the bike. In total, they kidnapped about 36 people that day.”
Nyamson stated that the victims were forced to trek through the forest for five days and four nights before arriving at the kidnappers’ camp.
“We kept collapsing on the way, and they would give us Tramadol to continue the journey. They were beating us regularly, and we were not properly fed,” he said.
The businessman further revealed that the kidnappers initially demanded N100m ransom from his family after seeing photographs of him with military officers during construction projects.
“They saw the projects I was handling with the army and concluded that I had money. They told my family to pay N100m. When I said I couldn’t afford it, they almost killed me that day,” he added.
According to him, his relatives eventually paid about N30m to secure his release after several months in captivity.
Nyamson described the harsh living conditions in the camp, noting that victims survived mainly on roasted corn and raw groundnuts obtained from nearby farms and villages.
He said some captives who managed to pay smaller sums, including N5m, were released gradually, while others remained in detention for months.
The businessman also recounted witnessing brutal killings in the camp, saying fear was constantly used to intimidate victims.
“The first day we entered the camp, they brought out a young man, laid him on the ground, and shot him dead. They warned us that anybody who tried to escape would face the same fate,” he said.
“He was a young man, and he should be between 21 and 22 years old. They shot him dead and asked some of the boys to dispose of his corpse in the forest,” Nyamson added.
Nyamson added that during his nine months in captivity, at least 18 kidnapped victims were killed by the abductors under different circumstances.
He called on the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to tackle kidnapping and insecurity across the country….See More
