PUNCH
A final year student at the School of Health, Makarfi, Zaria, Baraka Abdulkarim, speaks with AYOOLA OLASUPO about her abduction and how she survived horrifying conditions in captivity
Which school do you attend?
I’m a 400-level student at the School of Health, Makarfi, in Zaria.
How old are you, and which state are you from?
I’m 26 years old now. I’m from Oyo State. My dad is from Ogbomoso, but my mum is from Oyo Town. I can say I’m from Ogbomoso Ayilara, but we stay in Oke-Elerin, and we always go home.
Could you describe the events leading to your abduction?
I was coming back from school in Zaria and heading to Funtua, which is in Katsina State. When I got to the park, no taxi was available. So, I decided to take a car along the road. Another woman, who had six children, also joined me. When we got to a village called Maraba Maska, the driver stopped, claiming the fuel had finished and that he would call another car for us to board. We had to enter the new car.
When did this happen?
It happened on December 1, 2024.
How many passengers were in the new car?
There were four of them; three passengers and the driver. None of them were female, and they were all Fulani. The seats inside the car were insufficient, and it was already 6pm. So, the woman and I entered while the children sat on our laps. Another man also joined us. When we reached Funtua Junction, where I was supposed to alight, I informed the driver, but he ignored me.
He drove past the junction, and we started shouting. That was when the passengers who had pretended to be fellow travellers brought out their guns. We didn’t even know they had guns, as they had concealed them. The car continued moving until we reached a point where there were soldiers.
How did you feel when you realised you had been kidnapped?
Before they brought out their guns, the man sitting beside me asked me to shift a bit. After I did, they then revealed their guns. I was scared, and the woman, the children, and I started shouting. They didn’t seem bothered by our cries, saying that even if the soldiers saw us, they wouldn’t do anything and nobody would come to our aid. The strange part was seeing an airplane flying over the forest every morning, and the kidnappers would mockingly say that it wouldn’t help us.
Did the soldiers notice what was happening?
We were shouting, but the soldiers didn’t notice anything. They didn’t realise what was going on until we passed them. Then the kidnappers ordered us to get out of the car, and we complied. I saw the Fulani men holding AK-47 rifles.
How did you know it was an AK-47?
I can recognise some guns when I see them. I’ve seen them in foreign action movies. They asked us to leave, and we began trekking into the forest. We walked from that night until around 5am the next morning. When we reached their destination, they instructed us to enter a thatched hut in the middle of the forest. On the way, they killed two of the woman’s children.
Why did they kill the two children?
They said the children weren’t moving fast enough. So, they shot and killed them before we reached the hut. They also shot a fat woman in the leg because she couldn’t walk quickly. They wanted to abandon her, but one of them insisted they shouldn’t. It seemed they didn’t tolerate slow movement in the forest. After trekking for more than an hour, we heard gunshots from soldiers. The kidnappers told us the soldiers would not leave their positions and would only shoot into the air.
What happened when you entered the thatched hut?
They tied our hands and legs with big chains and padlocked them. This was done to all of us, even the children. They chained one hand and one leg together and padlocked it. I couldn’t sleep until daybreak because the chains caused severe pain, and I developed scars. We thought we would be given food and water in the morning, but none came until the night.
They sarcastically asked if we wanted tea. A man who had been kidnapped with us said yes, unaware that their “tea” meant a severe beating. They beat him mercilessly. The kidnappers didn’t stay in the same hut as us. They had another hut where they lived with their young wives, who were between 12 and 14 years old. The leader of the kidnappers looked about 20 years old. They were all young.
Were you later given any food?
They gave us the shaft left after grinding and sieving maize. They also asked us to cut small roots, place money on them, and burn them with a lighter to make a fire.
Do you mean they were burning money?
Yes, they placed bundles of N1,000 notes and honey on the roots before lighting them. I’m unsure if the notes were real. They used this fire to prepare the maize chaff, which they gave us once a day. They rationed water too, giving us a Fanta bottle’s quantity to share among three people.
How many of you were kidnapped from the bus?
We were 10 in total; six children and four adults. Inside the hut, we urinated, and defecated on our bodies. We couldn’t bathe as we were chained. I even started and finished my menstruation in captivity.
Were the kidnappers aware that you were menstruating?
Yes, they were. Once I started menstruating, they stopped coming to our hut. The other woman said menstrual blood could neutralise their charms. I was supposed to menstruate for three days, but it lasted 10 days due to anxiety.
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