After spending nine months in a kidnapper’s den, businessman Emmanuel Nyamson recounted to The PUNCH how he was abducted, held captive, and eventually escaped.
Nyamson, who said he was from Kaduna State and was born in 1968, explained that he was working on a construction project at the Army barracks in Kontagora, Niger State, while also operating a small maize farm outside the barracks.
He stated that the incident occurred in October 2024 when kidnappers laid an ambush on the road after reportedly targeting expatriates working on a road construction project from Tegina to Kontagora.
According to him, he had gone to his farm on a motorcycle to pay labourers and was returning around 9 a.m. when the kidnappers blocked the road and abducted 36 people, including him and another man.
Nyamson disclosed that the victims were forced to trek through the forest for five days and four nights, during which he repeatedly collapsed and was given Tramadol by the kidnappers.
He added that they were poorly fed, beaten daily, and held in captivity for about nine months.
Narrating how he escaped alongside other victims, Nyamson explained that the kidnappers had different groups specialising in crimes such as cattle rustling, theft, and kidnapping. He added that the operation involved criminals from Sokoto, Zamfara, Zaria, and other places, who gathered at the camp where the victims were held.
He further explained that the victims were chained with heavy-duty motorcycle chains and were only temporarily unchained every morning around 6 a.m. to relieve themselves under armed supervision.
Nyamson recalled that, at some point, the number of captives had reduced and he, alongside two others, was chained together with each person’s leg tied to a tree to prevent escape. He added that he gradually began to understand the kidnappers’ language.
He further disclosed that after most of the kidnappers left the camp for about three days, only three guards remained behind to watch them. According to him, the guards later ran out of marijuana and sent one of their members to travel about 30 to 40 kilometres to get more.
He explained that the remaining guards later went to another nearby camp in search of food, creating an opportunity for escape.
Nyamson said that when he unchained himself, he also freed the two other captives because the forest was thick, and immediately the guards entered their hut, the three of them fled the camp and escaped.
Further talking, he said, “We trekked for like two and a half days, although we were scared because they had already killed 18 of the 58 people. Three people died naturally, and three others who rebelled were killed.
“So, we lost a total of 18 people there. When we escaped, I collapsed on the third day because my legs couldn’t bear the pain any longer, so I had to lie down in the forest, and it was already late.
“The following morning, I crawled and stayed beside a tree. I saw two young boys between 20 and 30 years old. There was a footpath to that place, so I crawled and sat by the footpath. Then a bike came with two other kidnappers again.
“When they saw me, they stopped and asked me to come, but I told them that I could not walk, so they parked their bike and pulled out their guns. They asked me if I ran away, and I said yes. They also asked if I paid any money, and I said, ‘Yes, but it wasn’t up to the amount they requested.'”
When asked how much he paid for his freedom, Nyamson said he paid about N30m.
He explained that after the kidnappers noticed he could no longer walk properly and that his condition had become critical, they encountered a Hausa man riding a bicycle and ordered him to assist him. According to Nyamson, the man initially refused, but the kidnappers forced him to help.
Nyamson stated that the man assisted him while the kidnappers gave him N1,000 to buy food. He added that they trekked for about 10 kilometres before reaching the nearest village, where he was eventually rescued.
He further disclosed that villagers received him warmly, gave him food, water to bathe with, and clothes to change into. According to him, he arrived there around 5 p.m., and the villagers warned him that kidnappers frequently attacked the route because it was the only exit from the area.
He said he was later taken to another village called Berere in Kebbi State, where he was presented to the district head. From there, another vehicle conveyed him to a different town, which eventually helped him return to Kontagora in Niger State…….See More
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