I prayed and fasted for God to save us – Released Students Recount Harrowing Ordeal

A freed student of Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe, has  began narrating their harrowing ordeal in the hands of kidnappers for 64 days.

The student spoke to Vanguard anonymously due to an embargo on statements by security agents who are still trying to round up the remaining kidnappers still at large.

The boy told Vanguard, ““We were taken away in speed boats on the day the kidnappers struck.

“They told us not to play smart by attempting to put up any struggle, saying it would lead to our death. We sailed for close to two hours before we reached a camp made of woods.

“We met another group of people at the camp eating and drinking. One of them was directed to take our parents telephone numbers, after they announced to us that we had been kidnapped.

“We spent two days at the camp before we were relocated. Nobody could tell the exact time they relocated us because it was dark”.

“At a point, we lost count of the number of days we had spent in captivity. “By this time, they started beating us. We were also starved of food because they said our parents were not cooperating with them and that they had run out of food stuff.

“Whenever they beat us, one of them would caution them to stop, that we were not responsible for the delay in payment. One day, we overheard them saying that some of their members had been arrested. They became furious and blamed the cause on our parents’ delay to pay. This was when they became brutal. We feared the worst could happen.

“I fasted and prayed fervently for God’s intervention during my stay with them.

“Again, like the first time, one of them woke us, while sleeping, to go into a boat. This time around, they took us on a journey that took several hours before we got to the third camp. None of us knew where we were. Sometimes they would threaten us that we were at a point of no return, if the money they needed was not brought.

“Ironically, it was at this camp that we were well fed. At times they gave us pounded yam and Egusi soup, jollof rice and noodles.

“I am happy to be back home”.