On Tuesday, 2, November 2021, early morning for Abuja di Nigeria capital, armed gunmen enta di University of Abuja Senior Staff Quarters for Giri, Gwagwalada area council, dem kidnap eight pipo.
Inside di eight pipo, two escape, as di gunmen cari di remaining six wey include two professors, one non-academic staff and three pikin dem.
Some of di six pipo wey regain dia freedom on Friday, afta dia medical checkups for hospital don follow BBC Pidgin tok.
Dem narrate how e hapun and wetin dia eye see for di hand of di gunmen.
How e happun
According to one of di victims, na around 1.30 am di gunmen break into im house, im bin still dey awake dey go through some of di works wey im students do, sake of say di next day na dia project defence.
E say e no reach 15 minutes afta e finish and im bin wan sleep na im-im begin hear plenti gunshots.
“I try call di security pipo for our Staff Quarters to tell dem say we dey under seige, say some armed robbers dey around, say make dem bring force pipo to come helep us, because of network dem no hear me well” E tok.
“Dem start to hit di window, dem finally succeed and me, my wife and pikin dem na im dey house. Dem ask for money and I give dem church money wey dey my hand. Di next tin dem say make we dey go, as I ask dem to where? dem use cane flog me for head”
‘Unknown destination’
One of di victims tell BBC Pidgin say dem trek for five hours first before dem see wia to rest, dem continue di trek for anoda six hours witout food before dem reach dia destination.
“Before we reach our destination, some of di gunmen don withdraw, na only like 10 of dem naim follow us.Na for ontop hill naim we stay, di grass become our mattress.
“Dem give us phone to call our spouses and request for 25 million per person, later dem change am to 50 million per person, totalling 300 million for six pipo. Dem say if we no bring di money, dem go kill us”. Na different different places dem dey cari us go, na under tree we dey manage rest small” E tok.
“Dem treat us like say we no be human being” One of di victims tok.
E add say dem cari dem go Kaduna, come threaten to cari dem go Zamfara if dem no pay beta ransom.
Ransom or swap?
“We no pay any money for ransom, dem exchange us wit some of dia members wey dey police hand” One of di victims tell BBC Pidgin.
“Dem bring some money for dem, I no know di exact amount, but di bandits vex say di money too small say make we tell our pipo to find money or dem go kill us. So as we dey phone our families to find more money dem tell us say as we no see money give dem, make we tell security pipo to release dia men wey dey dia hand den dem go release us, na give and take situation. We hear as dem dey make di calls.
You ask if dem swap us, yes dat na di case, dem swap us for some of dia members wey dey police custody.
Afta di calls, some of dem go back, only three of dem remain, wen we reach one place dem keep dia guns remove dia army uniforms, come show us road to come out.” E tok.
Anoda of di victim say from im interaction wit di bandits, from im understanding dem get sponsors.
“Dis operation wey dem do, dem get pipo wey direct and lead dem to dis place. I dey use dis opportunity beg di Nigeria goment to look into dis mata,
Di main issue be say dem no dey stay here, from Abuja dem go-go Kano, Kaduna, na so dem dey waka for wia network dey.
We no pay ransom, but dem request for swap. Wetin I notice be say di security pipo just intelligence to lure dem to release us.” E tok.
One of di victims tok say na by God grace naim dem take come out from dia abductors hand.
Im tok say e easy for security pipo to joinbodi rescue dem becos dem be federal goment staff, what about odas wey no get di privilege wey we get, im ask.
According to di tori wey im tell BBC Pidgin, di bandits no dey base for Abuja, dem come from Zamfara state, dem tok say as goment scramble Network for Zamfara naim make dem come dis Abuja axis wey network dey.
“Di bandits no dey pass normal roads na bush paths dem dey pass, so dia is no way you can get dem, so if goment fit know dis bush road e go help, I dey beg goment make dem put in some measures wey go bring an end to dis tin. E tok.
Wetin Police tok
Wen BBC Pidgin ask tok-tok pesin for di FCT Police command DSP Josephine Adehi about di alleged release of some of dia members in oda to free the kidnapped pipo, she reply say “No be true”
Meanwhile for one statement wey di FCT Police Command release on Saturday, November 6, 2021, police tok say di Nigeria Police join bodi wit DSS, Military and oda security agencies for one joint operation for where dem uncover di bandits hideout for inside Shenegwu Forest, Gwagwalada Area Council.
Dem arrest eight of di gang members while odas run inside forest and nearby communities. Di statement tok.
