Mohammed Baba Salihu, a resident of Tsaragi in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, has recounted his harrowing 141-day ordeal in captivity, including a nine-day trek through the bush after his first escape attempt.
Salihu was abducted from his home on May 8, 2026, when armed men invaded Tsaragi at night, reportedly targeting an engineer in the community.
He said he was not the initial target but became a victim after the situation turned violent.
“They did not come for me. Something happened, and before I understood what was going on, a person was already dead, and they had turned to me,” he said.
Salihu was taken into the bush and held with other captives in two separate bandit camps during his months in captivity.
In an exclusive interview with Kwara journalist Usman Haruna after his eventual escape, he described the harsh conditions endured by the captives, including prolonged hunger, thirst and physical deterioration.
According to him, captives sometimes spent up to four days without food, while access to drinking water was also irregular.
“Sometimes it was four days before food reached us. Not just food, even water was never given daily,” he said.
The prolonged deprivation left him severely weakened, causing significant loss of weight and muscle mass.
Salihu also recounted an incident involving two men who arrived at one of the camps in connection with a ransom payment of about N13 million reportedly intended to secure his release.
He said the ransom handover ended in gunfire, leaving one of the men wounded while the other escaped into the bush.
The injured man was later brought back to the camp. After the kidnappers asked Salihu whether he knew him, he confirmed that he did and was permitted to help care for him.
“He was getting better. I could see it. He was becoming stronger,” Salihu recalled.
The two men were later separated, and Salihu said he only discovered after returning home that the wounded man had died in captivity.
His first escape attempt also turned into another ordeal.
After fleeing from one of the camps, Salihu said he became completely lost in the bush and had no idea which direction would lead him home.
“I did not know the road. I did not know which direction led home. I walked for nine days,” he said.
But after nine days of wandering through the bush, his attempt to regain freedom ended when he encountered another group of armed men and was captured again.
He was taken to another bandit camp, where he said the suffering continued.
“I thought I had escaped. Instead, I met another set of bandits who took me to another camp. The suffering continued,” he said.
Salihu’s ordeal finally came to an end on Saturday, September 26, when he and eight other captives seized an opportunity to escape.
He said two Fulani men were among the captives and could understand some of the conversations among their captors. They subsequently shared information with the other prisoners.
According to Salihu, the group noticed that their captors were no longer keeping a close watch on them and decided to make their move.
The nine captives escaped together, eventually making their way out of the bush and reaching Lata Nna, where local residents came to their aid.
Soldiers stationed in the area subsequently took custody of the survivors and debriefed them before they were reunited with their families.
Salihu said some of the escapees were so weak that they could barely stand when they arrived.
“When we finally walked into Lata Nna, some of us could barely stand,” he said.
After 141 days in captivity, Salihu is now receiving medical attention for the physical effects of his ordeal, including severe dehydration and malnutrition.
He is also being monitored for the psychological impact of the prolonged captivity as he begins the process of recovery, surrounded by members of his family.
