A kidnapped victim, Ishaya Kukah, brother to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah, has recounted his harrowing experience at the hands of bandits, saying he had given up hope of surviving while in captivity.
Kukah was among the 60 kidnapped victims rescued by troops of the army’s 1 Division in a coordinated operation across Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The victims were formally received in Abuja by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, and the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar.
“Frankly speaking, I had already given up. I didn’t think I would come out alive because of how they were treating us in the bush.
“We suffered too much. They used to chain us in twos. If you wanted to defecate or urinate, you had to move together,” Kukah told journalists after the official reception.
He also revealed how victims were pressured into agreeing to ransom payments due to physical torture.
“They beat you so badly that you’re forced to say you’ll give money. If they notice you’re reluctant, they’ll beat or even kill you,” he said.
Expressing gratitude to the authorities, he added that “if not for the federal government, we would still be in the bush. Thank you for what you have done. God bless you.”
Another rescued victim, Adesiyan Michael, a deputy director at the National Assembly Service Commission, also shared his traumatic experience.
Abducted from his residence in Kubwa, an Abuja suburb on January 26, 2025, he was held captive for 74 days before being rescued on April 7.
“I was chained for 32 days. These boys, aged between 17 and 21, are stark illiterates. They don’t even know what they’re doing. Most of them can’t count up to a million naira, yet they were demanding hundreds of millions,” Adesiyan said.
He advocated for a non-combative approach to resolving the banditry crisis, urging the government to rehabilitate rather than kill the young perpetrators.
“Instead of killing them, the government should arrest, educate, and rehabilitate them. Some of them want to learn trades. They can still be useful,” he said.
Adesiyan also disclosed that his wife was killed in his presence during the captivity.
“When they kill someone in front of you, you’ll give them anything they want. They killed my wife before my eyes. If they had asked for my head in that moment, I would have given it,” he recounted emotionally.
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While receiving the victims, Ribadu praised the military and intelligence agencies for their role in the rescue operation, noting that it was part of a broader strategy under President Bola Tinubu’s administration to restore national security.
“Daily, we are restoring order, security, and stability. We will not relent until these criminals are brought to justice,” Ribadu stated.
He, however, made a strong appeal to Nigerians to stop paying ransom to kidnappers, warning that it only fuels the cycle of crime.
“I want to use this opportunity to talk to our people. Please, stop giving money to these people. It’s one of the worst things happening. The more you give, the more you compound the problem for us.
“We have never paid a dime to any of them, and we don’t want people to do so. Please, stop it. It is encouraging them to continue.
“The whole essence is to get money, and when you keep giving them, you’re saying, go and do more,” Ribadu said.
He urged Nigerians to give security agencies the chance to carry out their work effectively, assuring that the government remains committed to ending the menace.
Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka disclosed that the 60 victims, comprising 35 males and 25 females, were rescued in a joint operation involving various security and intelligence agencies.
