One of the six Nigerian Law School students abducted in Benue State, David Obiorah, has opened up about the terrifying experience he and his colleagues endured in the hands of their captors between Saturday and Thursday last week.
In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Metro on Monday, Obiorah revealed that the students were beaten daily, fed only once a day with poorly prepared food, and forced to drink muddy water while held in a forest located in the Zakibiam-Wukari axis.
“They flogged us with tree stems. They served us rice made with palm oil. The rice resembled amala, mixed with red oil. It was horrible. We also drank muddy water,”Obiorah said.
The abductors had reportedly driven their vehicle deep into the bush, where the victims were hidden in a hut.
“I thought they were going to kill us when they drove our bus into the bush. I was so scared. Later, they told us they don’t kill people. But every day, they beat us,” he recounted.
The law students were travelling from Anambra State to the Nigerian Law School, Yola campus, in Adamawa State, when they were kidnapped on Saturday, July 26, 2025, along the Benue-Taraba boundary.
While the Benue State Police Command claimed the students were rescued, Obiorah refuted that narrative, insisting that no rescue took place.
“For the record, the Nigeria Police did not rescue us. The Nigerian Law School did not rescue us. Each of us paid N10m for our release,”he revealed.
He added that one student was released earlier, believed to be due to his youthful appearance, while the remaining five victims each paid a ransom of ₦10 million.
“The guy they released earlier looked much younger than the rest of us. They said he looked like a minor because of his baby face,” he said.
Obiorah also stated that the abductors spoke mainly in Tiv, and that their vehicle later broke down, prompting them to transport the students further into the forest using motorcycles.
“I am extremely sure they spoke Tiv,”he noted.
“We were abducted around 9 pm and arrived at the hut by 11:30 pm. There, we met four other captives, one female and three males, including a corps member named Wisdom,” Obiorah added.
According to him, the female captive was separated from the rest and housed with the gang leader, while the rest were kept together and beaten daily.
“She was alone with their boss throughout. We were always afraid. Tortured every day. Only four of them had guns, but all of them were with other weapons ranging from machetes to dangerous sharp objects, he said.
Obiorah described the location as a village-like setting, with women cooking for the abductees, and children and elders moving about without concern.
“The women (in the village) cooked for us, but they only gave us food once a day. The same food they ate. The villagers were aware of everything that was happening. Whenever they brought us out, small children would look at us,” he said.
He identified the gang leader as “Matthew”, who, according to him, carried himself like a soldier.
“Their leader, Matthew, looked like a soldier. We saw other villagers moving about normally. It was as if the entire community was complicit,”Obiorah concluded.
His chilling account adds to the rising number of kidnapping incidents in northern Nigeria, raising further concerns about the safety of students and travellers.
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