Wednesday, September 30, 2026 - A man, Mohammed Baba Salihu, who was abducted from his home in Tsaragi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, on May 8, 2026, has recounted his harrowing 141-day ordeal in captivity, including his escape from two separate bandit camps and a nine-day journey through the bush.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kwara journalist,
Usman Haruna after his eventual escape, Salihu revealed that he was initially
abducted after gunmen invaded Tsaragi at night, reportedly targeting an
engineer in the community.
“They did not come for me. Something happened, and before I
understood what was going on, a person was already dead, and they had turned to
me," he said.
Salihu was subsequently taken into the bush, where he spent
months in captivity.
During his captivity, Salihu said two men arrived at the
bandits’ camp in connection with a ransom payment of about N13 million intended
to secure his release.
According to him, the ransom handover ended in gunfire. One
of the men was shot, while the other escaped into the bush.
Salihu said the wounded man was later brought back to the
camp, where the kidnappers asked if he knew him.
He confirmed that he did and was subsequently allowed to
help care for the injured man.
“He was getting better. I could see it. He was becoming
stronger.”
However, the two were later separated. Salihu said he only
discovered after returning home that the wounded man had d!ed in captivity.
Beyond the violence, Salihu described hunger and thirst as
some of the most difficult parts of his captivity.
He said there were periods when the captives went as long as
four days without food, while water was also not provided regularly.
“Sometimes it was four days before food reached us. Not just
food, even water was never given daily," he said.
The prolonged deprivation, he said, left him severely
weakened and caused him to lose significant weight and muscle mass.
Salihu’s first escape did not immediately lead to freedom.
After breaking away from one of the camps, he found himself
deep in the bush with no knowledge of the direction home.
“I did not know the road. I did not know which direction led
home. I walked for nine days.”
After nine days of walking without knowing whether he was
getting closer to home or moving deeper into the bush, Salihu encountered
another group of armed men.
Instead of finding safety, he was captured again and taken
to another bandit camp.
“I thought I had escaped. Instead, I met another set of
bandits who took me to another camp. The suffering continued.”
The ordeal eventually came to an end on Saturday, September
26, 2026, when Salihu and eight other captives escaped together.
According to him, two Fulani men were among the captives and
could understand some of the conversations between the kidnappers. They
reportedly shared information with the other captives.
When the group noticed that there was no supervision around
them, they seized the opportunity and escaped together.
The nine survivors eventually made their way out of the bush
and arrived at Lata Nna, where local residents received them before soldiers
stationed in the area took over.
Salihu said the military subsequently debriefed the
survivors before they were reunited with their families.
Recalling their arrival at Lata Nna, Salihu said the
physical condition of the escapees was extremely poor.
“When we finally walked into Lata Nna, some of us could
barely stand.”
He said community members provided immediate assistance
before security personnel took over the situation.
Salihu is currently receiving medical attention following
the physical toll of more than four months in captivity.
He is being treated for severe dehydration and malnutrition,
having lost significant weight and muscle mass during his ordeal.
He is also being monitored
for the psychological effects of the experience.
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