VIDEO: Rescued Corps Member Recounts Kogi Ordeal

A rescued National Youth Service Corps member, David Ayodele, has recounted how he and 14 other corps members were threatened with death by their captors after being taken into a forest in Kogi State.

Ayodele said the kidnappers threatened to keep the victims in captivity for one month and kill them, while warning them against moving without permission.

He explained that the victims were forced into the bush after their vehicle was intercepted while travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja, following their relocation from the NYSC orientation camp.

*“They Were Shooting In The Air”*

Recounting the incident after his rescue, Ayodele said the driver attempted to escape when the kidnappers emerged.

“The driver tried to escape, but he said, ‘Who’s the driver? Who’s the driver?’ And I held the driver. Then they opened the door and started leading us to the bush while shooting rounds of bullets in the air,” he said.

He added that the victims were subjected to physical abuse as they were marched into the forest.

“Then we made our way to the bush with flogging and kicking and shouting and all that,” he said.

*“None Of Us Attempted To Move Because Of Fear”*

According to Ayodele, the kidnappers later threatened to keep the victims in the forest for a month before killing them.

“We got to a bushy area. They asked us to sit down. They asked who wanted to drink water, that we would be here for one month, and that they would kill all of us,” he recounted.

“They warned us that if anybody moved without permission they would shoot the person, so none of us really attempted to move because of fear,” he added.

Ayodele said the victims were forced to trek for a long distance through the forest before their eventual rescue.

“So we moved a lot, a lot, a lot. And then, thank God, the Nigerian Army came to meet us,” he said.

*Commends Security Agencies*

The corps member commended the security agencies involved in the rescue operation, including the military, police, Department of State Services and local hunters.

Ayodele disclosed that he had completed his NYSC orientation at the Bayelsa camp and was travelling to Abuja after being relocated when the incident occurred.

“I did my orientation camp in Bayelsa. There were organised vehicles going to different states, so luckily we saw an Abuja vehicle,” he explained.

Ayodele was among 15 NYSC members and six other Nigerians rescued from a kidnappers’ den in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

_Watch the video below:_