Some of the six kidnapped students of the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe, who were released on Friday have recounted their experience in captivity.
Yusuf Farouk, Isiaka Ramon, Pelumi Philips, Peter Jonas, Adebanjo George and Judah Agbaosi were abducted from their hostels- Yellow and Green houses- on May 25 by gunmen clad in police uniform.
They were released on Friday through the combined efforts of the security agencies and Governors Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
According to The Nation, two of the boys stated that during their 65 days in captivity, they were beaten, starved given water and were given ‘reddish water’ to slay their thirst.
The victim said their abductors routinely beat them and left them in the open, day and night while their only shelter was a bridge.
The maltreatment soon took a toll on them with two falling ill: they bled from the mouth.
“They were beating us. We were blindfolded, kept under the bridge with our legs tied,” one of the students revealed.
“They fed us with eba and crayfish soup. They mixed the crayfish with pepper and water and then gave us to eat with eba.
“They were giving us red water to drink. The water had a bad taste but no odour. It was polluted. They kept us under a bridge. They gave us no bed sheets or blankets.”
A second victim (name also withheld for security reasons) said they changed camps thrice during their captivity, enduring starvation at some point.
He revealed that one of the camps was made of cut trees and the kidnappers had to erect a tent to shield them from rain.