Four students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State, have recounted the terrifying ordeal they endured after suspected kidnappers invaded their rented accommodation in Ipara-Remo, taking five of them into the surrounding forest.
The incident occurred shortly after 8pm on Wednesday, July 29, at a private student hostel along Paraga Road, one of the communities adjoining the polytechnic.
The students had been relaxing in their apartment when gunshots suddenly rang out across the neighbourhood.
One of the students had stepped out to buy dinner and was on his way back when he heard the shooting and the commotion that followed.
An alarm of “Ole, Ole” — meaning thief — soon rang out, followed by hurried footsteps along the passage.
“I thought maybe it was armed robbers,” one of the students recalled.
Fearing an attack, he attempted to contact a police officer stationed in Saapade, but poor network connectivity disrupted the call.
The students then locked themselves inside the bathroom, hoping the attackers would move past their apartment.
They were soon discovered.
According to one survivor, the gunmen moved through the building, forcing open doors before reaching the bathroom where the students were hiding.
“We tried to hide ourselves inside the toilet. The kidnappers started shooting and moved from one apartment to another until they got to ours.
“They forced the door open and shot directly at the bathroom where we hid ourselves, asking us to come out. ‘Everybody out’ was the instruction they gave us.
“We came out and were asked to sleep on the floor,” he further narrated.
The attackers searched their belongings, collected their clothes and shoes and interrogated them about their identities and who owned the residence.
“They asked who owned the house and who was our boss,” another survivor recounted.
“We told them we had no boss and that we were all students. They said no, that we were doing Yahoo (cybercrime). They said since we were lying, they would take some of us so our boss could provide money to bail us out.
“We were eight in number, so they took five of us, tied our hands behind our backs and led us into the bush. Their formation was three at the back, one in the middle and three in front of us,” he stated.
Into the Forest
Once inside the forest, the students realised they had been taken hostage as the kidnappers forced them to identify their mobile phones.
“When we got to a particular place, they sat us down and asked us to identify our phones.
“We did, and the phones that were left were thrown into the bush. On our way, we saw someone inside the bush, a man. They killed him, tied his hands and legs, stabbed him and left him there.
“They told us that if we did not cooperate, they would kill us too. So, we started following their orders.
“They led us to a place inside that same bush. They knew all the corners of the bush. They were taking things from the road, like corn, and gave them to us to carry,” he continued.
The captives later came across another abducted person known as ‘Biggie’, who had reportedly been seized a day earlier.
The gang subsequently began discussing ransom payments and asked the students whether they understood how bandits operate.
Their message was blunt: pay or face death.
The initial demand was N30 million for each hostage, with family members contacted under pressure.
“I called my mom and brother and told them we were asked to pay N30 million,” the second victim recalled.
“The kidnappers stood behind us eating, drinking and laughing. Sometimes, they just walked up to us and slapped us from behind without us doing anything to them,” he added.
The ransom figures later fluctuated dramatically, with individual demands ranging from N5 million to N50 million.
“They said I would pay N50 million, Biggie would pay N50 million, Malik, my childhood friend, would pay N5 million, Ayo N5 million, Yusuf N7 million, and one other boy, I can’t remember his name, would pay N10 million,” he further stated.
Hunger, Blindfolds and Brutal Treatment
The students said they spent days hidden from daylight and were blindfolded except when they were allowed to attend to their basic needs.
Movement was largely restricted to nighttime as the kidnappers attempted to avoid detection.
“We only moved at night; during the day, they hid us in the bush.
“We passed through about three rivers. They gave us gutter water to drink when it rained,” the second victim explained.
The journey became so physically demanding that one of the captives eventually asked to be killed rather than continue.
The response was a single bowl of garri drink and a warning against further complaints.
The students were subsequently taken deeper into an area where they said the kidnappers claimed some victims had previously been killed and buried.
“We got to a deep forest, and that place was smelling.
“They said they killed and buried some people there who failed to pay their ransom. As we were crying, they cut a big stick and used it to beat us without mercy,” he added.
Security Forces Close In
While the victims remained in captivity, security agencies were reportedly tracking the kidnappers through aerial surveillance and ground operations.
The students said the first indication that security forces were closing in came from the sound of a drone overhead.
Police tactical operatives subsequently entered the area, using tear gas while issuing commands and firing into the surrounding vegetation.
The pressure forced the seven armed kidnappers to move their captives deeper into the forest.
The students were reportedly marched from about 8pm until 6am as the gang attempted to escape the advancing security teams.
The confrontation eventually erupted into a gun battle between the security operatives and the kidnappers.
Caught between the two sides, the hostages had to make immediate decisions to stay alive.
“We were sleeping when we started to hear noises outside,” another victim, whose name was withheld, said.
“We tried holding our breath when the gunshots started. The kidnappers asked us to follow them, but after a point, we turned back because the gunshots were too much.
“My friend was shot. I ran back into the bush and hid behind a tree,” he disclosed.
Another survivor was shot in the leg after mistakenly moving towards someone he believed could be a police officer.
“We were trying to run towards the police when we saw someone in the bush who was signalling us to come.
“I was confused because I didn’t know if it was the police or one of the kidnappers. As I stepped out, they fired at my leg immediately. Hit in the leg, the student collapsed to the ground.
“I fell to the ground and played dead. I could hear footsteps coming close to me. They checked me and said, ‘This one looks like he’s dead.’ So they left me,” he recalled.
Wounded Student Rescued
The injured student remained on the ground in the rain as the exchange of gunfire gradually subsided.
He soon heard a drone overhead and the voices of approaching tactical personnel.
“The next thing I saw was a drone and then the voice of a policeman.
“He said, ‘Check if this one is alive; if he’s not, fire him and let’s go back to the office.’ On hearing that, I knew it was the police, and I shouted, ‘Please, I am a student! You guys should help me!’”
After establishing that he was one of the victims, an officer attended to him and carried him to safety.
Even after being rescued, the wounded student asked the operatives to continue searching for his friend.
The other survivor, who had been concealed behind a tree nearby, eventually emerged after hearing the security team.
For the injured student, whose father was a police officer before his death five years ago, the operation changed his perception of the police.
“Before, I didn’t have confidence in the police,” he admitted, adding: “I doubted that the police would be able to help us, but they kept looking for us inside the bush.
“My dad was a policeman, and he’s been dead now for five years. I understand what it feels like for them to leave their families behind and hunt for us inside the bush. I am grateful and happy to be alive today.”
Police Arrest Suspects, Recover AK-47 and N2.3m
The rescue followed sustained intelligence gathering and coordinated operations by security agencies.
Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, had disclosed last Thursday at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, that two suspected members of the kidnapping gang had been arrested.
According to Ojajuni, the command’s anti-kidnapping unit worked alongside the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to track the suspects through intelligence-led surveillance and ground operations.
DAILY POST reported that on Thursday, August 6, security operatives located and raided the suspected kidnappers’ hideout along the Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway.
The suspects reportedly engaged the operatives in a gun battle during the operation.
Three suspected kidnappers were neutralised, while others escaped with reported gunshot injuries.
Security personnel recovered one AK-47 rifle, an empty magazine, four mobile phones and N2.3 million in cash from the hideout.
For the rescued students, the operation brought an end to several days of fear, hunger, violence and uncertainty — and a return from the forest to safety.
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