Mohammed, a security guard at a hospital in Opebi area of Ikeja, Lagos, was heading for Oregun around 6am on Thursday, January 18, when some gunmen in a Jeep waylaid him on the Opebi Link Bridge.
A heavily-built man with a gun alighted from the vehicle and ordered the 22-year-old victim to hop in, threatening to shoot should Mohammed try to escape.
Caged, Mohammed hopped in and was immediately blindfolded on a journey that took him to Ikorodu area of Lagos.
“Next, I found myself inside a hut in a forest. We were 12 young men. They did not tie us. They were four in number and all of them had guns. There was no food or water,” Mohammed said while narrating his experience to The Punch.
He disclosed that the kidnappers collected his valuables, took his name, photograph and fingerprints, but did not demand a ransom.
Mohammed, who was with the kidnappers for five days, said that they took two victims away from the camp every two days and replaced them with two more every few hours.
Narrating his escape on Monday, January 22 to The Punch, Mohammed said: “That evening, I told them that I wanted to urinate and one of them led me somewhere. When we got there, something told me to escape. But I was afraid the man could shoot me. When I noticed that he had looked away from me, I managed to escape. I cannot explain why the man did not see me. It was divine intervention.
“I struggled to walk in the forest for over two hours. I was panting. I saw a motorcycle rider and begged him for assistance. He said the place was dangerous. He took me to Odogunyan junction and gave me N100 to call my relatives.
“I called my sister at a business centre. She came to pick me up around 11pm and took me to the hospital. My fear now is what would be the fate of those I left at the camp. The police should rescue them.”