Three of the 26 villagers that were abducted by bandits from Igu Tsauni, Shapai communities in Munya local government area of Niger state two weeks ago have escaped from captivity.
The three, all men, escaped to freedom on Wednesday night during a heavy downpour when they were being moved by the bandits from one camp to another in Kaduna state.
One of the escapees, who simply gave his name as Chukwudi, a timber dealer who was abducted in the bush while trying to evacuate his timber, told Daily Sun that their escape was made possible due to the heavy downpour on Wednesday night, which made movement in the bush very difficult for the bandits.
He said they were stuck at a river bank and could not cross due to the volume of the water and were taking refuge under a tree in the heavy rain when they managed to escape.
According to him, when they escaped, they ran in different directions to avoid being caught and trekking in the bush all through the night and inside the rain before arriving at a nearby village at about 4 a.m. Thursday.
He disclosed that the remaining victims, mostly women, are still being held at the river bank because the bandits are finding it difficult to cross the water, and there is no other route for them.
He said:
“Our escape was a miracle; it was God because the decision to escape was a difficult one, but when we saw that the rain was very heavy, we told ourselves that we could use the opportunity of the rain to escape, and God made it possible for us.”
He pointed out that they were picked up by the bandits from different locations and kept together in a tent at Shapai village before being moved to their camp in Kaduna state when their ransom could not be paid at the stipulated time.
“They told us that anybody that dies in transit will just be covered with leaves and abandoned there because they cannot bury anybody.
“They told us that they do not have what to dig the ground to cover anybody and that it is better we tell our people to bring money quickly because that is the only thing that can set us free,” he added.
