Mr Ishaya Kukah, brother to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah, on Tuesday recounted his harrowing experience in the hands of bandits who had held him and others captive.
Kukah spoke with newsmen on Tuesday when the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, handed over 60 rescued victims to their families in Abuja.
He said he had given up hope of surviving before his rescue with others by the troops of the 1 Division Nigerian Army in Kaduna.
“Frankly speaking, I had already given up. I didn’t think I would come out alive because of how they were treating us in the bush.
“We suffered too much. They used to chain us in twos. If you wanted to defecate or urinate, you had to move together,” he said.
Kukah said that the victims were pressured into agreeing to ransom demands due to the torture they endured.
According to him, if they noticed you are reluctant, they will beat or even kill you.
“If not for the Federal Government, we would still be in the bush. Thank you for what you have done. God bless you,” he said.
Another rescued victim, Adesanya Michael, a Deputy Director at the National Assembly Commission, who was abducted from his residence in Kubwa, Abuja, advocated for a non-combative approach to tackling banditry.
He said the bandits, mostly aged between 17 and 21, were stark illiterates and victims of circumstance.
“I was chained for 32 days. Most of them can’t even count up to a million. They don’t know what they’re doing.
“Instead of killing them, the government should arrest, educate, and rehabilitate them. Some of them want to learn trades. They can still be useful,” he said.
Michael, who was kidnapped on Jan. 26 and released on April 7, recounted how his wife was killed in his presence.
“When they kill someone in front of you, you will give them anything they want. They killed my wife before me. In that moment, if they asked for my head, I would have given it,” he said. (NAN)
Rivers govt. urges youths to enrol in Nigerian Army
Rivers State Government has on Tuesday advised youths to take advantage of the ongoing Nigerian military recruitment exercise to develop their career and life paths.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Ibibia Worika, made the remark when he received a team from the Army Headquarters, led by Brig. Gen. Wito Nzidee in Port Harcourt.
Worika assured the team that the government was committed to persuading youths to enrol in 89th Regular Recruitment Intake for Trades/Non-Tradesmen and women.
He disclosed plans to review the state enlistment processes to address gaps in the youths enrolment in the military.
He said that the state would scale up sensitisation efforts to create awareness of the recruitment among the people.
According to him, we have written to Local Government Council heads to note gaps in sensitisation processes.
The SSG, however, said that the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas, as a former military officer, understood the advantages of joining the military and would assist in encouraging the youth.
Earlier, Brig. Gen. Nzidee said that the aim of their visit was to sensitise the state about the ongoing recruitment exercise.
Nzidee emphasised the importance of the state meeting the recruitment targets, explaining that states failing to do so may lose their slots to other states.
He encouraged Nigerian youths to join the Army to develop their career and life paths, adding that it can develop officers to become the best as long as they are disciplined.
Nzidee urged interested applicants to register for free at https://recruitment. army.mil.ng before the end of the recruitment exercise by May 17. (NAN)