One of the kidnapped students from Kuriga in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State who escaped, Mustapha Abubakar, has narrated his ordeal in the hands of their captors, saying he stealthily hid in a shrub like a snake while they were moved by the bandits and escaped.
Abubakar was among the about 280 schoolchildren kidnapped, but he and 27 others were able to return to their respective families.
It was reported that the kidnapped children, both males and females, were between the ages of 5 and 18.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa monitored in Kaduna on Monday, Mustapha Abubakar explained that the bandits moved the children like a herd of cows.
“We trekked in the bush; sometimes we crawled. We were so thirsty that some of the girls were becoming weak and falling down due to tiredness. The bandits were lifting them up and putting some of them on motorcycles.”
“Afterwards, we reached a big river, where we drank water and continued trekking. There was a plane that hovered above us. That was when the bandits ordered us to remove one of our clothes and lie down.”
“Even the bandits were exhausted. They had no food and were eating leaves and wild fruits. They gave us nothing to eat.”
“While we were moving, I noticed a shrub that was brown in colour, like my trouser. I hid inside and crawled like a snake. I was there until it was completely silent before I came out and headed to the bush.”
“I later met an old man who had difficulty walking. I asked him the pathway to the main road or any close place so that I could get water to drink.”
“I had a marathon race. I was exhausted, but I pushed on, as evening time was approaching. I later arrived at Gayan, a community near us, and that was how I eventually escaped,” he said.
