Gbolahan Olaniyi has recounted how he and other victims were subjected to harsh conditions after being taken deep into the forest by their abductors.

During an interview with The Punch, Olaniyi said the kidnappers forced them to trek barefoot for five days before arriving at their camp, where they endured beatings and other forms of torture. He added that they were sometimes ordered to harvest maize and yam from farms for food, while they drank water from rivers along their route.

He disclosed that the kidnappers contacted his mother on the fifth day and initially demanded a ransom of ₦15m for his release. However, his tractor operator, Mr Kazim, who was also abducted, was eventually killed after his family reportedly failed to pay the ransom demanded for him.

Olaniyi said he spent 22 days with the first group of kidnappers before they transferred him to another gang, which demanded an additional ₦20m from his family.

He explained that he was held alongside two other victims, with their hands and ankles secured with chains. A member of the gang was responsible for preparing their meals and unlocking the restraints whenever necessary.

According to him, his mother eventually told the kidnappers that the family could only raise ₦2m. The money was subsequently transferred to the gang through a bank transaction.

Olaniyi said the kidnappers collected the money on the 40th day but still refused to release him. He added that he eventually escaped with the two other captives after the gang’s cook left the camp, leaving behind the key used to unlock their chains.

The victim said their escape became possible after the boy who cooked for them announced that he was leaving the group.

“He was the person who usually unlocked the chains around our hands and ankles whenever we needed to move. After collecting N15,000 from the N2m ransom, he got angry told them that he was no longer working with them and wanted to go to his father’s house, which was not far from their camp.

“He left with his gun and clothes but left the key behind. We took the key and unlocked the chains around our hands and ankles. That was how we escaped into the bush,” he said.

He explained that the three escapees trekked through the forest for three days before reaching a village called San Louisa in Kogi State.

“Luckily for us, there was an army base in our village. The people contacted the soldiers at Okako, where I was kidnapped, and they linked up with the military. They mobilised us from there, and that was how I reunited with my family,” he said.

The victim lamented that the incident had left his family in severe financial difficulties, adding that they had been forced to take loans to cope with the aftermath.

“Ever since then, life has been very difficult for us because we have had to borrow money. We are a struggling family, and we have nothing left. We even live in an uncompleted building.