One of the prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State has recounted her harrowing experience in captivity, revealing how victims survived on dry cassava flakes (garri) mixed with dirty, muddy water.
The survivor shared her ordeal following their freedom, describing the physical assault and mental anguish endured in the forest hideout before being freed by security agencies.
Recounting the conditions in the bush, the victim explained that the abductors provided minimal sustenance, forcing the captives to consume contaminated water to stay alive.
”What we were eating there was just dry garri with muddy water—water so dirty I wouldn’t even give it to an enemy,” she recounted. “We had no choice; it was strictly for survival.”
She added that the captors routinely beat victims—using gun butts, wooden planks, and bare fists—if families expressed anger or said anything deemed unacceptable during ransom phone negotiations. Male captives were subjected to the most severe physical assaults.
“According her the journey began around 9:00 a.m. from Ibadan, Oyo State, heading toward orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. After a stopover due to security warnings regarding night travel along dangerous stretches, the travel group retired for the night”.
She recalled waking up already deep inside the forest, completely unaware of how the gunmen seized them. The survivor noted that the experience felt surreal, leaving her numb and unable to cry as she struggled to comprehend the situation.
The Corps members regained their freedom on October 7 following a joint security operation involving operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). Upon their rescue, the survivors were transported to a medical facility in Owerri for immediate physical evaluation, treatment, and trauma counseling.
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