A survivor of the abduction of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Imo State has recounted how armed captors allegedly beat detainees with guns and fists, monitored their conversations with relatives and forced them to survive on dry garri and dirty water during seven days in captivity.

The survivor, speaking to BBC Pidgin in an interview published on Monday, 12 October 2026, described an ordeal that began when gunmen attacked two buses carrying the prospective corps members along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area on 1 October.

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The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the attack occurred at approximately 6.30am.

According to the survivor, the captors allowed the abductees to telephone their families but threatened violence whenever a conversation displeased them.

“We were given phone to call our families. And if any family say anything wey dem no wan hear, or any rubbish wey go fit make dem angry, we will be beaten.

That person will be beaten, use the gun to hit the person,” the survivor said

The account suggests that communication with loved ones, ordinarily a source of reassurance during a crisis, became another source of fear for the captives, who reportedly had to consider how their conversations might provoke their captors.

The survivor said male abductees were particularly vulnerable to physical assaults, while the captors appeared more reluctant to strike the women.

“Sometimes dem go use dia hand to punch dem, mostly the guys.

Dem still dey fear small to beat woman,” the survivor said.

The group was reportedly held in a forest before being moved further into unfamiliar terrain, where the captives struggled to understand their surroundings or determine how far they had been taken.

“I bin no know how we take reach the forest where dem keep us for sometime, before we continue our journey to a deep-deep-deep forest that I don’t know how,” the survivor recounted.

Food and drinking water were also severely limited, according to the account.

The survivor said the captives were given dry garri and water contaminated with mud, leaving them with little choice but to consume what was available.

“What we are eating there is just garri, like eba garri, dry garri with mud water, very dirty water that, hmm, I can’t even fit give my enemy that water, but we bin no get choice, we gatz take am for survival,” the survivor said.

The conditions reportedly left the survivor struggling to comprehend the situation.

“I can’t express how I feel because I bin no fit cry, I just dey look and I was lost.

I don’t know what to do, e bin look like movie, I bin no believe say that kain tin happen to me,” the survivor said.

The journey had begun several hours before the attack, with the group departing at about 9am and making several stops along the way.

The survivor said the passengers had asked their driver at Ore to continue travelling rather than delay the journey.

However, after reaching Onitsha, the driver reportedly informed the passengers that they would spend the night there, explaining that the next stage of the journey could be dangerous and that they needed to rest.

The prospective corps members notified their families about the overnight stop before going to sleep.

According to the survivor, the group awoke to find themselves in the hands of their captors.

“When I wake up, that na when the incident happen,” the survivor said.

The abduction triggered a security operation involving the police and other agencies.

During the search, police reportedly said drone surveillance had helped security operatives identify the kidnappers’ hideout, although suspected improvised explosive devices around the camp complicated access to the area.

Security agencies subsequently intensified efforts to locate the captives, deploying additional personnel and equipment.

The 20 prospective corps members were rescued on 7 October, seven days after the abduction, during a joint operation involving security agencies.

The victims were subsequently taken for medical examinations and treatment.

The survivor credited the Department of State Services (DSS) with securing their release, saying, “The government, na di DSS rescue us.”

The rescue brought an end to the group’s immediate ordeal, although the reported violence and conditions in captivity have renewed concerns about the safety of travellers on major roads in south-eastern Nigeria.

The incident also highlights the vulnerability of young Nigerians travelling to fulfil national service requirements, particularly when journeys involve long distances, overnight stops and routes affected by insecurity.

The kidnappers reportedly demanded a ransom of ₦50m for each captive before the amount was later reduced.

The circumstances surrounding the negotiations, including whether any payment was made, were not established in the account provided.

The identities of the perpetrators and their whereabouts following the rescue have also not been confirmed in the available report.

Police had earlier confirmed that the prospective corps members had been freed, while efforts to apprehend those responsible continued.

In a separate development following their release, the freed graduates were reportedly offered postings in the South-West, although further details of the arrangements were not provided in the account.

For the survivors, the end of captivity marks an important step towards recovery, but the account of their treatment illustrates the physical hardship and psychological distress that kidnapping victims may endure.

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Their testimony also underscores the importance of sustained security operations, effective intelligence gathering and measures to protect people travelling across vulnerable parts of the country.