My abductors threatened to marry me, took my uniform – Corper

A National Youth Service Corps member, Rofiat Lawal, who was abducted along the Benin-Ore Expressway last Tuesday, has disclosed that her abductors threatened to force her into marriage and take her to Sokoto if her family refused to pay a ransom.

Rofiat was abducted on her way to her place of primary assignment in Oyo State while coming from Edo State. The abductors initially demanded a ransom of N20m, but after negotiations, they reduced it to N5m.

A friend of Rofiat, identified as Agbakwara, who raised the alarm about her abduction, narrated how she was eventually freed after her family paid a ransom of N1.1m to an account purportedly belonging to a family of another kidnapped victim.

Rofiat disclosed that the kidnappers waylaid the vehicle she boarded along the Ore area of the expressway. They kidnapped six out of the ten passengers and led them into a bush, taking valuable items, including her NYSC uniform, which one of the abductors wore.

During the four days of captivity, the victims were beaten, threatened, and forced to trek for hours. Rofiat mentioned that one of the kidnappers threatened to marry her and take her to Sokoto if ransom was not paid.

She expressed gratitude to her family for raising the ransom and urged the NYSC authority to allow her some rest and medical attention due to the traumatic experience she endured.

Rofiat’s story sheds light on the dangers faced by travelers and the need for increased security measures to protect innocent individuals from such harrowing experiences.