A 52-year-old woman who spent 36 days in the hands of kidnappers in Kogi State has recounted how she escaped captivity with a teenage girl and trekked through the bush for five days before they were rescued by workers near a Dangote facility.
Key Highlights
- Woman, identified as Aduke, spent 36 days in kidnappers’ captivity in Kogi State.
- She was abducted with more than 30 travellers on May 29, 2026, along the Obajana axis.
- Kidnappers allegedly demanded N4 million and a motorcycle for each victim.
- She escaped with an 18-year-old girl and trekked five days before workers near a Dangote facility rescued them.
- She alleged that some security personnel tipped off the kidnappers before helicopter operations.
The woman, simply identified as Aduke, who was abducted alongside more than 30 travellers while travelling from Akure, Ondo State, to Abuja, said the ordeal left her physically weakened, with her legs severely swollen after weeks of captivity.
In an exclusive interview with The Trumpet, the survivor, who sells herbal drinks in Abuja, described the terrifying conditions under which the gang held its victims, alleging that the armed men included teenagers and even a nine-year-old boy who repeatedly beat her.
“The gunmen were more than 100. Most of them were below 20 years old. There was even a nine-year-old boy who always beat me,” she said.
Her escape alongside another 18-year-old female captive marked the end of more than a month of uncertainty, violence and fear inside the kidnappers’ forest hideout.
Five Days In The Bush
The woman said their journey to freedom was itself a gruelling ordeal, as they trekked through the bush for five days before emerging behind a Dangote industrial facility, where workers rescued them and handed them over to the police.
“We escaped together and trekked through the bush for five days before we emerged behind the Dangote industry. Workers there rescued us and handed us over to the police,” she recounted.
The survivor was among passengers abducted on May 29, 2026, along the Obajana axis of Kogi State, when gunmen attacked several vehicles at about 2 a.m.
“Our 18-passenger bus was attacked together with other vehicles around 2 a.m. We were all taken into the bush,” she said.
N4m And A Motorcycle Per Victim
The woman disclosed that the kidnappers demanded N4 million and a motorcycle for each victim before they could be released.
She said some families reportedly paid the cash but could not meet the additional demand for a motorcycle, leaving their relatives in captivity.
“They demanded N4 million and one motorcycle for each person. Many families paid the N4 million but could not provide the motorcycle. Those people were not released,” she said.
The demands placed families of the abducted travellers under enormous pressure, as they struggled to meet the conditions imposed by the gang.
The survivor did not disclose how many captives remained in the kidnappers’ custody at the time she escaped.
Alleged Intelligence Leaks
Beyond her personal ordeal, the survivor alleged that some security personnel tipped off the kidnappers whenever security helicopters approached their forest hideouts, allowing the gang to move its captives before operations began.
She said the kidnappers would switch off their phones, hide cooking utensils and relocate the victims to another location before the helicopters arrived.
“Whenever security men were coming with helicopters, somebody among the security people would call the bandits ahead of time. They would immediately switch off all their phones so they could not be tracked,” she alleged.
“They would gather all the cooking pots and other things we were using, hide them and relocate us to another place before the helicopter arrived.”
The allegation raises concerns about possible intelligence leaks that could undermine rescue operations and prolong the suffering of kidnapped victims.
However, the claims could not be independently verified, and the survivor did not identify any specific security operative allegedly involved.
Read also:
- Military Rescues 21 Kidnap Victims, Including 15 NYSC Members, in Kogi Forest
- Edo, Kogi Police Chiefs Strengthen Border Security, Target Kidnapper Hideouts
- Scores Feared Killed As Suspected Bandits Invade Taraba Community
The woman also recalled that the commercial bus driver had warned passengers about the dangers of travelling along the route before the attack.
However, she said she did not see him again after the abduction and their eventual escape.
“Our driver warned us earlier that the road was dangerous, but after we escaped and trekked through the bush, we never saw him again. He disappeared,” she said.
It remains unclear what happened to the driver or whether he was among those still held by the kidnappers.
The incident underscores the vulnerability of travellers using highways in Kogi State, where armed gangs have repeatedly ambushed vehicles and abducted passengers for ransom.
For the survivor, freedom came only after weeks of captivity and five days of walking through the bush.
Her account offers a harrowing glimpse into the physical suffering endured by kidnapping victims and the desperate journeys some undertake to regain their freedom.
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