Passengers of the Niger state Transport Authority (NSTA) who were abducted by armed bandits said they were made to walk for 24 hours without food.
21st Century Chronicle recalls that the 52 passengers were abducted by gunmen in Kundu village of Rijau local government area on Feb. 14, while returning to Minna.
They were however released on Sunday after days of negotiations between the bandits and the state government.
One of the victims, Hamza Mohammed, narrated to newsmen on Monday that 10 victims shared a bottle of dirty water during the 24 hours trek after their abduction.
“We ate nothing for 24 hours after our abduction.
“The first day, we rested on a mountain and anyone who attempts to sleep will be flogged,” he said.
He said that the bandits asked for forgiveness for all the maltreatment before they were released.
A female victim, Jummai Isah, said they didn’t take their bath for a week neither did they brush their teeth and had little food to eat.
She said the women and children were transported to the bandits den on motorcycles, while the men were made to trek.
“We had little or no food to eat, they usually gave us little food to cook and eat. They beat the men and spared the women and children, but only started beating women three days before we were released.
“They started beating us and shooting on the air because they said our people refused to give them money,” she explained.
Another victim, Mohammed Ndagi, a civil servant said the experience was a harrowing one.
“The bandits only carried women and children on their motorcycle to a particular destination. When we trekked to where the women were kept, it was already night, they cooked spaghetti and poured on our hands to eat.
“We were cooking for ourselves and they kept beating us on a daily basis and as we moved, we kept seeing more of the bandits,” he said.
