A Gateway ICT Polytechnic student, who survived a kidnap ordeal in Ogun State, has recounted how his captors allegedly killed a man in the bush and used dead bodies to frighten their hostages into paying ransom.
The student, whose name was not made public, narrated his experience in a video documentary released by the Ogun State Police Command on Tuesday.
The students were abducted from their off-campus accommodation in the Ipara area of Ogun State on July 29.
According to the survivor, the kidnappers arrived at the hostel while firing shots and proceeded from one apartment to another in search of occupants.
He said he and some colleagues attempted to hide, but the gunmen eventually found them and ordered them to lie down.
The student said the attackers accused them of being internet fraudsters and repeatedly asked about the whereabouts of their supposed “boss”, whom they believed could provide money for their release.
He said the captives were subsequently bound and taken into the forest.
During the journey, the student alleged that the gang came across another man who had also been kidnapped.
He claimed that the man was restrained before the kidnappers stabbed him to death and left his remains in the bush.
The survivor said the incident was intended to send a warning to the other captives about what could happen if they disobeyed instructions or failed to secure their release.
He disclosed that the victims were moved between different locations, often at night, as the gang tried to avoid detection.
The student said they were forced to trek through the forest and cross several rivers, while those who struggled because of injuries were allegedly beaten.
He added that the victims were given very little food and water during the captivity and sometimes had only garri to eat.
According to him, the gang demanded up to N30m from each family before agreeing to lower the amounts in some cases following negotiations.
He said the kidnappers later took the victims to another part of the forest where they allegedly showed them human remains.
The student claimed that the gang told them the bodies belonged to people whose families had refused or failed to pay ransom.
He said the kidnappers then warned that the captives would also be killed and buried at the location if their families did not produce the money demanded.
The student added that the gang monitored the movement of people around the forest and ordered the captives to hide whenever vehicles or motorcycles were sighted.
Their ordeal, he said, ended when security operatives launched an attack on the kidnappers’ hideout.
He said the gang tried to escape during the operation, taking some of the victims along.
The student, however, said he chose to move towards the direction of the security operatives, although he was shot in the leg in the process.
He said he later lay still and pretended to be dead when the kidnappers returned to check on him.
According to him, he became certain that the rescuers were policemen after hearing one of them ask whether he was still alive.
He then called out to the operatives, identified himself as a student and was rescued alongside another victim.
The survivor expressed gratitude to the security personnel involved in the operation, saying their intervention gave him another chance to live.
Earlier, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, had said the successful rescue showed the government’s resolve to prevent kidnappers and other criminals from operating freely in the state.
He said the operation was carried out jointly by the police, military, DSS, NSCDC, Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, also disclosed that three suspected members of the gang were killed during a gun battle with security personnel on August 6.
Iniedu said police anti-kidnapping operatives and DSS personnel tracked the gang to its hideout after the students had been rescued.
He added that other members of the gang escaped from the scene with suspected gunshot injuries.