Rofiat Lawal, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who was abducted along the Benin-Ore Expressway, has narrated her harrowing experience in the hands of kidnappers who threatened to force her into marriage and relocate her to Sokoto if her family failed to pay a ransom.
According to PUNCH, recounting her ordeal, she revealed that one of the abductors even wore her NYSC uniform after taking it from her.
Lawal was traveling from Edo State to her place of primary assignment in Oyo when she was abducted. The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N20 million but later reduced it to N5 million after negotiations. Eventually, her family secured her release by paying N1.1 million into an account allegedly belonging to another victim’s family.
She described how the attackers ambushed her vehicle near Ore, firing gunshots before dragging six passengers, including herself, into the bush. Their captors seized money, mobile phones, and other valuables. Some victims, mostly traders, reportedly lost as much as N600,000 to N1.2 million.
“They forced us to trek for hours through the forest,” Lawal said, explaining that their captors often made them sit idle during the day and continue walking at night.
While other victims, many of them older individuals, were frequently beaten, Lawal was largely spared from physical assault. However, one of the kidnappers threatened to marry her.
“He said if my family didn’t pay, he would take me to Sokoto and make me his wife,” she recalled. “They didn’t even know I was a corps member; they were just focused on the ransom.”
The captors had come prepared, bringing along a cooler filled with garri, which they occasionally shared with their hostages.
Following her release, Lawal has requested time off from NYSC to recover, citing the trauma she endured.
“My State Coordinator and Local Government Inspector have reached out, and I just hope they allow me time to rest and receive medical attention before resuming duty,” she said.
Despite her ordeal, she remains committed to her service, stating, “What happened to me could have happened to anyone. I am just grateful to be free.”
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