‘We never had our bath’ – Kidnapped Afaka students recount ordeal

The 27 freed students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation Afaka in Kaduna State have said that although they were subjected to all manner of ill-treatment by their captors, they have all resolved to forgive them and prayed to God that they will turn a new leaf.

The students, who were kidnapped on March 11, 2021 and released on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, after spending 56 days in captivity, were reunited with their parents and families on Friday after undergoing a thorough medical checkup at the Kaduna Police clinic.

At the college premises where they were brought in in two Hilux buses accompanied by heavily armed security personnel, it was more of funfair and celebration by both the estactic parents and the released students as tears of joy rolled down uncontrollably on their cheeks.

Recounting her ordeal and experience in the hands of the abductors, Sarah Sunday, said: “Kai! A lot of things happened while we were there. We passed though hunger, we were subjected to trekking and all sorts of dehumanising things. We were insulted, but fortunately, they did not molest any of us and they did not kill any of us. They only beat us on the first day when they did a video of us.”

Speaking on how they we were fed, Sarah said, “the boys among us used to go and fetch water for us to cook. We normally cook Tuwo with Miyan Kuka, and Tuwo with dried okro. We only cooked rice once, and we cooked Spaghetti once too.”

Asked whether their abductors used to leave them and go out for other operation during their captivity, she said, “yes, they used to go out, but they always leave some of their armed gang members to stay with us.

“Even our male colleagues that used to go and fetch water, there are those that escort them to the stream with AK47 rifles. Our living condition there in the jungle was very bad. We never had our bath. We were beaten by the rains even though there was a hut that we always run to, yet rain would still beat us inside the poorly built hut. But, we have forgiven our kidnappers. And we pray that God will give them the chance to change for the better.”