Posted by Samuel on Sun 05th Jan, 2025 - tori.ng
Speaking to Punch, Baraka narrated how she survived horrifying conditions in captivity for 13 days.
Baraka Abdulkarim, a final year student at the School of Health, Makarfi, in Zaria, Kaduna State, has recounted how the bandits who kidnapped her k!lled two children for walking slowly.
Recall that Baraka was abducted on December 1, 2024 while on her way home from school.
Speaking to Punch, Baraka narrated how she survived horrifying conditions in captivity for 13 days.
“I’m 26 years old now. I’m from Oyo State. My dad is from Ogbomoso, but my mum is from Oyo Town. I can say I’m from Ogbomoso Ayilara, but we stay in Oke-Elerin, and we always go home,” she explained.
"I was coming back from school in Zaria and heading to Funtua, which is in Katsina State. When I got to the park, no taxi was available. So, I decided to take a car along the road. Another woman, who had six children, also joined me. When we got to a village called Maraba Maska, the driver stopped, claiming the fuel had finished and that he would call another car for us to board. We had to enter the new car.
"There were four of them; three passengers and the driver. None of them were female, and they were all Fulani. The seats inside the car were insufficient, and it was already 6pm. So, the woman and I entered while the children sat on our laps. Another man also joined us. When we reached Funtua Junction, where I was supposed to alight, I informed the driver, but he ignored me.
"He drove past the junction, and we started shouting. That was when the passengers who had pretended to be fellow travellers brought out their guns. We didn’t even know they had guns, as they had concealed them. The car continued moving until we reached a point where there were soldiers
"Before they brought out their guns, the man sitting beside me asked me to shift a bit. After I did, they then revealed their guns. I was scared, and the woman, the children, and I started shouting. They didn’t seem bothered by our cries, saying that even if the soldiers saw us, they wouldn’t do anything and nobody would come to our aid. The strange part was seeing an airplane flying over the forest every morning, and the kidnappers would mockingly say that it wouldn’t help us
"We were shouting, but the soldiers didn’t notice anything. They didn’t realise what was going on until we passed them. Then the kidnappers ordered us to get out of the car, and we complied. I saw the Fulani men holding AK-47 rifles
"They asked us to leave, and we began trekking into the forest. We walked from that night until around 5am the next morning. When we reached their destination, they instructed us to enter a thatched hut in the middle of the forest. On the way, they killed two of the woman’s children.
"They said the children weren’t moving fast enough. So, they shot and killed them before we reached the hut. They also shot a fat woman in the leg because she couldn’t walk quickly. They wanted to abandon her, but one of them insisted they shouldn’t. It seemed they didn’t tolerate slow movement in the forest. After trekking for more than an hour, we heard gunshots from soldiers. The kidnappers told us the soldiers would not leave their positions and would only shoot into the air.
"They tied our hands and legs with big chains and padlocked them. This was done to all of us, even the children. They chained one hand and one leg together and padlocked it. I couldn’t sleep until daybreak because the chains caused severe pain, and I developed scars. We thought we would be given food and water in the morning, but none came until the night.
"They sarcastically asked if we wanted tea. A man who had been kidnapped with us said yes, unaware that their “tea” meant a severe beating. They beat him mercilessly. The kidnappers didn’t stay in the same hut as us. They had another hut where they lived with their young wives, who were between 12 and 14 years old. The leader of the kidnappers looked about 20 years old. They were all young
"They gave us the shaft left after grinding and sieving maize. They also asked us to cut small roots, place money on them, and burn them with a lighter to make a fire
"They placed bundles of N1,000 notes and honey on the roots before lighting them. I’m unsure if the notes were real. They used this fire to prepare the maize chaff, which they gave us once a day. They rationed water too, giving us a Fanta bottle’s quantity to share among three people
"We were 10 in total; six children and four adults. Inside the hut, we urinated, and defecated on our bodies. We couldn’t bathe as we were chained. I even started and finished my menstruation in captivity
The student said when the kidnappers found out she was menstruating they stopped going onto the hut.
"Once I started menstruating, they stopped coming to our hut. The other woman said menstrual blood could neutralise their charms. I was supposed to menstruate for three days, but it lasted 10 days due to anxiety.
Baraka said she didn't clean herself all through her period.
"I couldn’t. My hands and legs were tied, so the blood dried on my body along with the urine and faeces. There was no way to clean up.
The kidnappers contacted her family after four days and initially demanded N20m ransom before reducing it to N3m.
"After four days, they asked if I knew my mum’s number. I gave them my maternal uncle’s number instead, as my mum was in the hospital awaiting surgery. They took me to a spot with network service, and I called my uncle. He confirmed the situation after speaking with the kidnappers
"Initially, they demanded N20m. My uncle said there was no way we could raise that amount. They reduced it to N3m, two motorcycles, two smartphones with three cameras, and N50,000 worth of Airtel recharge cards
Baraka said her uncle sent one of his boys to deliver the ransom but the kidnappers refused to release him after collecting the money.
"You can’t believe that the guy who went with the ransom is still with them. They didn’t release him after giving them the money, saying we would have to pay another ransom to set him free. We are running helter-skelter now to raise the money.
"They asked me if I knew the guy and I said no. The way those people collect the ransom is that when anybody takes the money to them, they will ask the person to put the money on the floor and cross over it three times. After that, they asked the person to pack the sand under his feet and pour it on the money. After that, the kidnappers would touch the money. So, they told me that the ransom had been paid and that it was already 9pm, saying they would release me if I wanted to go that night or stay with them till daybreak.
"I said they should release me now but they were saying that if they released me that night, I might fall into the hands of another set of kidnappers. But I insisted that they should release me that night. So, they took me on their bike and passed through the forest without the lights on. We fell off the bike three times. There is a spot on my leg where I got hurt by the bike’s silencer.
"When we got to the end of the thick bush, they released me at that spot around 10pm. I was not wearing shoes but they showed me the way and told me to go straight. That was how I started running until I got to a point far from where I was left. I saw a house there and I entered. I saw a man with his children reciting the Quran. As I entered the place, I fell and started crying. Then the man said he knew what had happened and that I should not say anything
"I used the man’s phone to call my mum and I told her that I had been released. So, the man told her about my location and she pleaded with him to take me to my uncle’s place in Yankara very close to that place. When we got to my uncle’s place, they took me to the hospital immediately to carry out a general check-up.
"There is a card they always give at the hospital that if they write bandit on top of it, any medicine or tests to be given and carried out will be free. They did the tests for me but the problem is that whenever I scratch my body, rashes will come out. Recently, something came out of my eye. So, I had to go to the hospital. My eye surgery is in a few days now.
"I was asking myself if I would ever see my mum again. A lot of things were coming to my mind at that moment. I thought that if my mum cooked tuwo for us at home, I might decide not to eat it, but I was in captivity eating the chaff from maize with soup or anything. My dad is late and my other sister is going for eye surgery.
"I did not even know if my mum wouldn’t develop hypertension because she only gave birth to the two of us. I was kidnapped and my sister was in an operation room for her eye surgery and we are not even sure if she’s going to see again with the eye
“I haven’t slept properly since. I attend therapy every three days and keep praying for strength. I’m thankful to God for my life, my family’s support, and the opportunity to seek my mum’s forgiveness."