A female traveller in Plateau State, Lucy Jeremiah, who was abducted by a nine-member kidnap gang on Monday, narrated how she, alongside other victims fought the kidnappers with bare hands to escape from the bush, where they were held captives.

It was learnt that the kidnappers had abducted Jeremiah alongside four other victims while they were travelling in a vehicle to Jos, Plateau State, from Abuja on Thursday.

The female victim who was still in trauma told The PUNCH in Jos on Monday at the Plateau State Police Command Headquarters where she was recuperating that she handed her life to God before she summoned the courage to fight the kidnappers with all her strength as she was not willing to follow the assailants to their final destination.

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Jeremiah said, “What happened was that, we were coming back from Abuja to Jos in a vehicle last Thursday. On getting to Government Science School, Kuru, in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, around 6pm, though I was sleeping in the vehicle, I woke up when the vehicle suddenly stopped. When I woke up, I saw a man wielding a gun. He opened the door and said we should give him our phones.

“He collected all our phones and money. He thereafter selected four of us in the vehicle and marched us into the bush. The kidnappers numbering nine asked us to call our parents on phone and demanded N5 million each. After we made the calls, they took us farther into the bush, and out of the four persons, I was the only female among them.”

The female victim further said, “As we were going deeper into the bush, I asked my fellow kidnap victims that we should organise our escape, but they were so afraid of the idea and they said they could not do anything because they were not with any weapon to fight the kidnappers, who were with a gun, knife and other weapons. By this time, some of the kidnappers who were initially nine had left leaving four of them with us. As we marched deeper into the bush, two of the four kidnappers left were trailing behind while the two others with the gun and knife were the ones leading us in the front.

“Again, at this time, I told my co-victims that we should do something and that I will not follow the kidnappers anymore farther into the bush to wherever they were taking us, and that God would be in control. I also told them what to do as I suggested to them that I would be the first person to grab the kidnapper carrying the gun while they should come to my assistance if anything happened and that was what I did. So, when I grabbed the kidnapper with the gun, the other kidnapper holding a knife rushed forward and wanted to stab me in the stomach. But as I turned, he missed his target…”

The female victim could not continue with the interview as she broke down crying.

However, the Spokesman for the state Police Command, Alabo Alfred, confirmed the incident saying that the other kidnap victims who were rescued by the police alongside the female victim had been taken to the hospital for treatment.

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The PPRO said, “We have four victims that were rescued and it happened somewhere in Barkin Ladi LGA of the state on December 15. A team of police detectives traced them to Kassa forest in the Barkin Ladi LGA where they came in contact with the kidnap victims including Lucy Jeremiah and three others. She (Lucy Jeremiah) was found unconscious with a deep cut in her leg and the other victims were taken to the hospital for treatment and we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended.”