Corps member laments spending days in kidnappers’ den without water

Miss Abasifreke Joseph, a corps member, who was kidnapped on January 9 along Enugu-Ezike Road on her way to Kogi State, said she spent five days and five nights at the kidnappers’ den without water and food.

Joseph narrated her ordeal after her release on January 13, when the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of NYSC, Mr Sam Pepple, visited her and her family on behalf of NYSC management at her country home in Abak on Saturday.

The corps member said she was kidnapped with other passengers travelling in a bus from Uyo to Kogi.

She said that as a corps member, she was posted to Kogi, where she reported with others to camp and was sworn in on 29 November 2024.

According to her, she was sick while in camp, sometime in December and she reported to her platoon officer, who advised that she applied for exit and go for treatment.

Joseph said that with the Camp Director’s approval, she travelled home for treatment and was returning to Kogi on January 9 when the incident happened along Enugu-Ezike in the Igbo Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

She explained that they boarded a bus at Nasarawa Park in Uyo to Kogi and at about 4:30 pm when they arrived at Enugu-Ezike, a motorcycle rider approached their driver and alerted him that robbers were operating along the road.

“That the driver should not go further, but the driver insisted that he has a tactical way of going.

“He waited for other vehicles plying the route and when there were about three vehicles, our driver now drove slowly on the road until he got to the point where the kidnappers were operating.

“So, when the kidnappers started shooting, our driver quickly came down from the vehicle opened the door and asked us to run into the bush.

“The kidnappers now asked our driver to return.

“We were beaten and throughout the five days, I stayed without water and food,” Joseph said.

Joseph said they seized all their valuables, including her NYSC identity card.

She added that on 10 January, they gave them a phone to call their relations to come and release them.

The corps member said she now called her parents and platoon officer to inform them of the incident.

Joseph said her brother came to negotiate with them and that led to her being released and she came back home on Tuesday, 14 January.

She expressed her appreciation to the NYSC management, Akwa Ibom and Kogi coordinators for their prompt response and solidarity to visit her at her country home in Utu Abak, to check on her welfare since she was released.

Earlier, the Akwa Ibom Coordinator of the Scheme, Pepple, who led the team on behalf of NYSC management to visit the corps member in Abak expressed appreciation to God for sparing Abasifreke’s life.

Pepple said as soon as NYSC was informed of the kidnapped incident, they swung into action to ensure the safe release of the corps member.

He said it was a thing of joy for the management of NYSC that the corps member was released and reunited with her family.

The state coordinator said as a responsible organisation, the NYSC would ensure adequate care of the corps member to cushion the traumatic experience she went through.

“NYSC is a caring organisation and we treat corps members as our children, so NYSC knows what to do for Abasifreke.

“We are always in touch and contact with her and family.

“We thank God that she is alive and God safe her. The rest will be good, as we know what to do.

“She has asked for relocation and that is not a problem at all, that will be granted to her.

“I have seen her, she is in high spirits and she is good and that is in contrast to social media reports.

“The story was mischievous, that she was abandoned in the hospital, that she was reeling in pains without any help.

“When we heard of the incident that she was released, I had to send the Zonal Inspector of Abak to visit her and her family.

“Today, I just needed to see her myself and show solidarity, as I have seen her, she is good and in high spirit and I thank God,” Pepple said.