Survivors of the recent abduction of church members in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Thursday recounted harrowing experiences of hunger, fear and brutality in the hands of their captors.
The victims, numbering 183 and made up largely of women and children, were formally received by Governor Uba Sani at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, following their rescue from bandits’ camps.
Their release was secured after weeks in captivity through a coordinated operation involving the Kaduna State Government, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Services.
Speaking to journalists on condition of anonymity, one of the survivors said the abductees were forced to trek for six days through thick forests immediately after they were seized.
“We trekked from Kurmin Wali into the forest for six days. They kept us near a river and fed us with pap made from maize,” the survivor said.
According to the victim, food and clean water were scarce, while many of the captives went without bathing for weeks, sleeping in the open by the riverbank.
The survivor added that the bandits often lashed both adults and children, especially whenever the children cried from hunger or fear, creating an atmosphere of constant terror.
Another victim said the captors ruled through violence, noting that once a child began to cry, fear spread among the abductees because punishment usually followed.
Addressing the governor in tears, one of the freed victims said they had almost lost hope of survival, expressing gratitude to the state government for their rescue and praying for Governor Sani’s continued political success.
In his remarks, Sani assured the victims of the government’s commitment to their rehabilitation, disclosing that they were already receiving medical care, trauma counselling and relief materials to help them recover from the ordeal.
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