The victims were abducted on Sunday when armed criminals reportedly attacked commuters along the Ojuwo–Ajengo–Memarebo and Ojiwo–Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.
They were rescued on Monday during a joint operation involving the Nigerian Army, Navy, Police and local vigilantes along the Ajaokuta-Anyigba road.
A local hunter was killed during the rescue operation, while a police officer sustained injuries.
Speaking at the Kogi State Police Command headquarters after her release, Ngozi said the kidnappers made her serve as an interpreter because of her fluency in Hausa.
She said the abductors assigned different ransom amounts to the victims and instructed her to communicate the demands.
“So, they told me, tell this person N50 million, tell this person N100 million, tell this person N70 million. That was how they were sharing it,” she said.
According to her, the kidnappers also demanded N70 million for her release.
“Even me, they said N70 million. So, even when I tried to plead and ask them to reduce it a little, they threatened to beat me up because they were beating people and all that,” she recounted.
Ngozi said the kidnappers did not physically assault her, possibly because she was serving as their interpreter, but they seized the victims’ phones and switched them off.
She explained that the devices were only returned when the kidnappers wanted the victims to contact their relatives concerning ransom payments.
“At some point, they were even threatening that if we were not able to provide the money, they would just sell us to ritualists and all that,” Ngozi said.
She added that the kidnappers fled after hearing gunshots from the approaching security operatives, abandoning a bag containing phones and laptops taken from the victims.
“We were able to get back our phones. We were also able to get back the laptops. Thank God. We are now safe,” she said.
Another survivor, Joshua Daniel, said he sustained an injury while attempting to escape from the kidnappers.
He said he spotted an opening shortly after they were captured and ran into a nearby bush, but one of the abductors chased him and attacked him with a cutlass.
Daniel said he raised his hand to protect himself, resulting in a deep cut to his vein.
“That is when the cutlass landed here and cut my vein. So, I was bleeding throughout the night,” he said.
He said the bleeding eventually stopped the following morning after he applied herbs to the wound.
Daniel disclosed that one of the abductors identified himself as Peter, adding that the kidnappers spoke Igala, Fulani and Hausa among themselves so the victims could not understand their conversations.
He expressed gratitude to the security operatives for rescuing them and also mourned the local hunter who was killed during the operation.
Despite his injury, Daniel said he helped carry the wounded police officer from the kidnappers’ hideout to the main road, where they were evacuated.
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