‘We Survived on Garri and Dirty Water’ — Rescued NYSC Member Recounts Kidnap Ordeal

A prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member abducted in Imo State has recounted how she and other victims were beaten, threatened and forced to survive on dry garri and dirty water while being held captive in a forest.

The victim, who spoke in an interview with the BBC, described the harsh conditions they endured following the abduction of 20 prospective corps members and another passenger travelling to their respective NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

According to her, their captors monitored phone conversations with family members and physically assaulted victims whenever their discussions displeased them.

“We are given a phone to call our family, and if any family say anything they don’t want to hear or any rubbish that would make them angry, we will be beaten,” she said.

She added that the abductors used guns, pieces of wood and their bare hands to assault the victims, particularly the male captives.

“That person will be beaten, used the gun, wood. Sometimes they use their hands to punch them, mostly the guys,” she recounted.

How the abduction happened

Recounting the circumstances surrounding their journey, the victim said their bus departed at about 9am and made several stops along the way.

She explained that the driver eventually stopped at a location considered dangerous for onward travel, advising the passengers to rest before continuing their journey.

The victim said she contacted her family to inform them that they would spend the night at a public place before going to sleep.

However, she said she later woke up to discover that she and the other passengers had been taken captive, adding that she did not understand how they were transported into the forest.

“When I woke up, that was when the incident happened. I don’t know how we got to the forest where we were kept for some time,” she said.

She disclosed that the abductors later moved them deeper into the forest, where they were given little food and dirty water to survive.

“What we are eating there is just garri. Like Igbo garri, dry garri with mud water. Very dirty water,” she said.

Describing the condition of the water, she added: “I can’t even give my enemy that water. We don’t have a choice, we have to take it for survival.”

‘I felt like it was a movie’

The victim also spoke about the psychological impact of the ordeal, saying she struggled to process what was happening to her while in captivity.

“I can’t explain how I felt. I can’t even cry, I was just looking, I was lost. I don’t know what to do,” she said.

“It felt like it was a movie. I don’t believe that this is happening to me.”

She added that she had not expected to survive the experience, describing the ordeal as something that felt unreal.

“I don’t believe that I will be living there on that day, because everything just felt like it was some drama,” she said.

The victim credited security personnel, including operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), with securing their release.

“The government, the DSS staff, we were rescued by them,” she said.

Victims regain freedom

The 20 prospective corps members and another passenger were abducted on October 1, 2026, when gunmen reportedly attacked two buses travelling along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Imo State.

The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their respective NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the incident occurred.

They regained their freedom on October 7 following a coordinated operation involving security agencies.

After their release, the victims were taken to a DSS medical facility in Owerri for medical attention.