A prospective National Youth Service Corps member, Ibi Philip, has recounted how he and 11 other travellers were abducted in Edo State and held captive in a forest in Kogi State for more than a week, with their captors initially demanding N50m ransom.
Philip said the kidnappers later reduced the demand to N30m, N20m and eventually N10m as their families struggled to raise money for their release.
In an account shared on Facebook on Sunday, Philip said he was travelling in a Benue Links Nig. Ltd. bus to the NYSC orientation camp in Akure, Ondo State, on September 30, 2026, when the vehicle was ambushed at Ibilo, Edo State.
He said the driver and two other passengers escaped, while the remaining 12 occupants were taken captive and moved towards Okene, Kogi State.
According to him, the captives trekked through the savannah for days, slept on bare ground and rocks, endured heavy rain and survived on little food while their captors held them in the wilderness.
Philip said negotiations for their release began on Friday, October 2, when the kidnappers allowed them to contact their families.
He said he called his father, Chief Sunday Ibi, and his former course representative at Benue State University, Makurdi, Ols Sally Sewuese Ukule, to inform them of the situation.
“I told them the kidnappers were demanding ₦50 million as ransom. The amount was later reduced to ₦30 million, but that was where the negotiations ended that night,” he said.
He added that his father, relatives, friends and other concerned individuals immediately began efforts to raise the money.
“My father did everything he could. He barely rested as he desperately tried to find a way to bring me home safely,” he said.
The prospective corps member said the kidnappers subsequently reduced the ransom demand to N20m and then N10m.
He explained that whenever the captives were allowed to speak with their families, the calls were placed on loudspeaker so the kidnappers could monitor the conversations.
“We were only allowed to speak English. We were asked how much our people had been able to raise,” he said.
According to him, the kidnappers became angry when his father disclosed that he had raised N500,000.
“At one point, I called my father, and he told me he had ₦500,000. The kidnappers became angry because they wanted to hear millions, not thousands. That day, I was severely beaten,” he recounted.
He said his father later told him that he had raised N700,000, but he feared the kidnappers would beat him again if he disclosed the amount.
“When I was asked what he had said, I told them ₦1 million,” he added.
Philip said the captives received little food during their ordeal.
“On the first day, we ate nothing. On subsequent days, we were given rice and beans, and sometimes garri,” he said.
The prospective corps member said one of the kidnappers collected his identity card and accused him of being a police officer after seeing that his residential address was opposite B Division Police Station.
“He accused me of being a police officer and began beating me because of that suspicion,” he said.
He added that another captive who understood Hausa explained to the kidnapper that his house was merely close to the police station.
Philip also said the captives endured four days of heavy rain while being held in the wilderness.
“Sometimes, it rained in the morning and again in the evening, leaving us exposed and uncomfortable in the wilderness,” he said.
Meanwhile, the victims’ families approached Benue Links Nig. Ltd., hoping the company would help secure their release.
Philip said they were told that the Department of State Services had advised the company’s manager against communicating with the kidnappers.
He added that the families continued efforts to raise the ransom after failing to obtain the assistance they had hoped for.
According to him, some relatives and other concerned individuals sold valuable belongings and made sacrifices to raise money for the victims’ release.
Philip said his father raised N1.5m by Monday and increased the amount to N1.7m by Tuesday, October 6.
“The kidnappers asked him to make it ₦2 million so he could come and pay the ransom for my release,” he said.
He added that the families were instructed to gather whatever money they had and travel to Lokoja, Kogi State.
They arrived on Wednesday, October 7, but were redirected to Okene, where the ransom was to be collected the following day.
According to Philip, the captives were moved to another location near the agreed meeting point on Thursday, October 8.
He said five kidnappers, including their leader, went to collect the money, while three others remained behind to guard the captives.
After the money had been delivered and checked, the kidnappers contacted those guarding the victims and instructed them to release the group.
“We were finally released!” he said.
Philip added that the gang leader gave each captive N2,000 and told them to leave quickly.
“After everything we had endured, the head of the kidnappers even gave each of us ₦2,000 and told us to leave quickly,” he said.
He said the victims walked a considerable distance with the people who had brought the ransom before reaching the road and leaving the area.
“It was a moment I can hardly explain. After days of uncertainty, hardship, and fear, we could finally breathe freely again,” he added.
Reflecting on the experience, Philip said he initially feared for his life but gradually found comfort in his Christian faith.
He said Psalm 23:4 became a source of strength during the ordeal.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,” he quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.
He said he remained uncertain about when or how he would be released but believed God had not abandoned him.
“I could not see what the future held. I did not know how or when I would be released. But deep within me, I held on to the belief that God had not abandoned me,” he said.
The survivor described the abduction as one of the darkest experiences of his life, saying his journey to the NYSC orientation camp had turned into a test of faith, strength and endurance.
“I am sharing this story because it is a part of my life that I will never forget. It reminds me of how fragile life can be, how much our families are willing to sacrifice for us, and how important it is to hold on to faith when life takes an unexpected turn,” he said.
He added, “I went through the valley, but the valley did not have the final say.”
“When all hope seemed lost, God gave me hope,” he said.