Kogi Kidn*p: Rescued NYSC Member Details Ordeal, Death Threats

David Ayodele, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member recently freed from captivity, has provided a chilling account of his experience, detailing how his abductors allegedly issued death threats to him and fellow victims deep within a Kogi State forest. According to Ayodele, the kidn*ppers vowed to hold them for an entire month before ending their lives, issuing strict warnings against any unauthorized movement.

Ayodele explained that their ordeal began when their vehicle, en route from Bayelsa State to Abuja after their NYSC orientation camp relocation, was ambushed. He recalled that the driver initially attempted to evade the kidn*ppers who suddenly appeared, but the entire group was ultimately compelled to exit the vehicle and proceed into the wilderness.

"The driver tried to escape," Ayodele recounted, "but they shouted, 'Who’s the driver? Who’s the driver?' I held the driver, then they opened the door, and began forcing us into the bush, firing rounds of bullets into the air."

He further stated that the journey into the forest involved physical assaults on the victims. "We made our way to the bush with flogging and kicking and shouting and stuff," he elaborated.

Ayodele revealed that the abductors subsequently issued a dire threat to detain them for a month within the forest before executing them. He quoted them saying, "We reached one kind of bushy area; they asked us to sit down, they asked us who would drink water, that we would be here for one month, so they would kill all of us."

Describing these threats as utterly terrifying, Ayodele noted that fear kept the victims extremely vigilant throughout their time in captivity. "They warned us that if anybody moved without permission that they will shoot the person, so none of us really attempted to move because of fear and stuff," he stated.

The corps member also mentioned that they were compelled to trek significant distances through the dense forest before the Nigerian Army finally intervened. "So we moved a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot and then thank God the Nigerian Army came to meet us," he expressed with relief.

He extended his gratitude and commendation to all security agencies that participated in the rescue mission, specifically mentioning the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS), and local hunters.

Ayodele further clarified that he had completed his NYSC orientation program at the Bayelsa camp and was on his way to Abuja due to a relocation when the abduction took place. "I did my orientation camp in Bayelsa camp," he confirmed.

He elaborated that various organized vehicles were transporting corps members to their respective states, and he had joined one destined for Abuja. "So, on our way from Bayelsa, because we did relocation back to Abuja, so we were going to Abuja from Bayelsa camp. There were organised vehicles going to different states, so luckily we saw an Abuja vehicle," he detailed.

David Ayodele was part of a larger group of 15 NYSC members and six other Nigerian citizens successfully liberated from a kidn*ppers' hideout situated in the Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.