Ishaya Kuka, the brother of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah, Mr Ishaka Kukah, has narrated how they suffered at the hands of their abductors.
Kukah’s brother was among the 60 rescued victims received by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and Minister of Defence on Tuesday in Abuja.
Sharing his experience after they were rescued, Ishaya said, “Thank God for what we did yesterday. I was already out of my mind and wouldn’t see this world again due to how they treated us in the bush” (sic).
“In the bush, we are suffering. We suffered too much. They used to chain us, two of us. If you are going to shit, you move with the other one. If you are going to piss, you move together.”
He stated that the bandits pressured people into paying ransom.
He said, “About this money, people are saying they are not supposed to give it. It’s because of pressure that they are beating on the bush. It will make you say you give money.
“Because if they discover that you don’t want to open your mouth and say you will give money, they will kill you. They will beat you. So the pressure will be too much, and you will have to give up. “
He appreciated the Federal Government for rescuing them.
He said, “We are out because of the federal government. If not, we will still be in the bush. So we thank you very much for what you have done for us. God bless, thanks.”
Also, the rescued Deputy Director of the National Assembly Commission, Adeshinya Michael, who was abducted from his residence in Kubwa, Abuja, urged the FG to find a way to disarm the bandits, educate them and reintegrate them back into society.
According to him, his abductors were between the ages of 17 and 20, adding that they were starkly illustrated who were not aware of what they were doing.
He said, “I want to thank the government for rescuing us. I was chained for 32 days. I wish to advise that the government should find a way to disarm or arrest them (bandits) instead of confronting them. They can send them to school. Some cannot even count one million. They are stark illiterates. They are young people ages 17 and 21.
They don’t know what they are doing. So if they can bring them out, if they want to learn work, apprentice work, they can let them, retrain them, reorientate them so they can be helpful to themselves. My advice is to, instead of killing them, arrest them and reorientate them. If you want to educate them, they can then work.
That’s my advice. So, how many days did you spend, and where did they pick you up? They picked me up from Chikakore in Kubwa. I came there on January 26th and left yesterday, the 7th.
And concerning ransom payment, he said, “When they kill someone in your presence, you will give them anything they want. For instance, they killed my wife in my presence. If they request your head in that situation, you will give it to them. “
While receiving them, the NSA said they were rescued based on military operations.
He said, “I want to use the opportunity again to thank our armed forces, security forces, army services, all. And indeed, under the leadership of President Bola Amed Tinubu, who is working daily, we are improving.
“We are doing what we are asked to: serving our country and restoring order, security, stability, and freedom for our people. We will continue to do so. We will not relent.
We will not stop. I’m grateful today that we have been joined by the exceptional Minister of Defense, who has given massively good leadership to the armed forces.
We are seeing the result. Our collaboration is the result that we are seeing daily. We will continue.
We will go after these people. Those evil people are responsible for these horrible, horrible criminal activities. Releasing them is not the end of the story.
We will make sure that justice is done. Anybody involved will never see peace with those we decided to work with. We are going to continue,”
Ribadu also urged the loved ones of kidnapped persons not to pay ransom to criminals, adding that it was fueling the scourge.
He said, “But I also want to use the opportunity to talk to our people. Please, stop giving money to these people. It’s one of the worst things that is happening. It’s the most challenging thing we are facing. Many of these people, as you see them, their families have given money to these people. But it did not lead to their own needs.
‘No. It is we, the security forces, that have got them out. It’s not the money that they are giving. These people, the more you give, the more you compound the problems for us. We have never given anybody a dime. We don’t. And we don’t want people to do so. Please, stop it. Inadvertently, in Europe, we may be helping this thing.
“And we are saying enough is enough. We cannot stop this thing quickly if people continue giving them money. I want to make a powerful appeal to all. It’s understandable. When someone of yours is in captivity, you will do whatever it takes for you to get him back. But this is counterproductive.
‘It’s encouraging for it to continue. The whole essence is to get money. And if you continue to give them, you are saying go and do more and more.
“We are appealing to our people, the country, and everybody to please, let’s stop giving this money. Give us a chance for us to do the work. We will get it done.”
Also, the Minister of Defence said the Tinubu administration would see the end of the criminals and insecurity.
He said, “By the special grace of God and the coordination of the National Security Advisor and the services, I’m sure we will see an end to insecurity in this country. Once again, we thank Nigerians for building their trust in us. Recently, we have seen the trust and the information they give us to face these challenges.
“So I continue to urge the citizens to give us vital information that will lead to operations like this so that we’ll continue to fight the bad people to the end.”
Earlier, while giving a breakdown, the Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Maj. Gen Adamu Laka said the victims, comprising 35 males and 25 females, were rescued on Monday, April 7, by troops of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in a coordinated operation supported by other security and intelligence agencies.
We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →
Join Our WhatsApp Channel
