A 25-year-old Delta State resident, Victoria Okocha, has described how suspected herdsmen abducted, gang-raped and forced her to drink another victim’s blood in the bush.
She gave the gory details in an encounter with journalists on Monday, Vanguard reported.
The resident of Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha South LGA of the state explained that she was on her way to Asaba last Friday when the commercial bus she was travelling in ran into an ambush at Isa-Ogwashi-Uku area.
Okocha said that although the driver of the vehicle saw a log of wood across the road, he drove towards it apparently believing that it was a fallen tree from the previous day’s downpour.
She said the assailants armed with machetes sprang out from the nearby bushes when it was too late for the driver to reverse the vehicle.
According to her, one of the men hit the driver’s side window with a cutlass in an attempt to drag him out of the vehicle and passengers hurriedly jumped out and ran into the bush in different directions.
She said she was however caught because she fell due to cramps.
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Okocha said one of the men grabbed and dragged her into the bush while the driver managed to escape with machete cuts.
“They took me far into the bush and demanded N20 million ransom. When I told them my family could not afford that amount because we are poor, they threatened to cut my breasts and pluck out my eyeballs from their sockets if they did not get the amount.
“They were five in number and only one of them could speak English. I was blindfolded and had my hands tied. Five of them took turns to rape me that night.
“When they contacted one of my relatives, Afamefune, he begged that they reduce the amount and they agreed to reduce it to N5 million. I stayed with them for two days before my people could raise some money, which was dropped at a designated place. They also collected N2,000 out of the N3000 cash I had in my bag,” Okocha explained.
She added, “In my weak state, I begged them to give me some water to drink and they offered me blood. The blood was that of a lady they kidnapped and murdered while I was there. They also drank out of the blood.
“Leader of the gang, who could speak English, told me that their intention was also to kill me because my family did not give them a reasonable amount. But he intervened by sending other members away and told me to run away, showing me the direction to take. I was able to locate the road, where I saw a vehicle that was heading towards the direction of my village.”
The Delta State Police Command has yet to confirm the incident, although the victim’s family said it has reported the incident to the police.