Kwara Man Survives 141 Days In Bandits’ Captivity, Walks For Nine Days To Freedom

Mohammed Baba Salihu, a resident of Tsaragi in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, has recounted his harrowing experience after spending 141 days in captivity following his abduction from his home on May 8, 2026.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Salihu was abducted when armed men invaded the community at night. He explained that the attackers were reportedly looking for an engineer but turned their attention to him after an incident during the operation.

“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 recalled.

Salihu said he was subsequently taken deep into the bush, where he spent several months in captivity across two different bandit camps.

During his ordeal, he witnessed a failed ransom operation involving two men who reportedly arrived at one of the camps with about N13 million intended to secure his release. According to him, the exchange escalated into a gunfight, leaving one of the men wounded while the other managed to escape.

The injured man was later brought back to the camp, where the kidnappers asked Salihu whether he knew him. After confirming that he did, he was allowed to assist in caring for the wounded man.

“He was getting better. I could see it. He was becoming stronger,” Salihu recalled.

He said the two were eventually separated and that he only learned after returning home that the injured man had died while still in captivity.

Salihu also described severe hunger and lack of access to drinking water as some of the most difficult aspects of his captivity. He claimed that the captives sometimes spent as many as four days without food and were not given water regularly.

“Sometimes it was four days before food reached us. Not just food, even water was never given daily,” he said.

The prolonged deprivation reportedly left Salihu severely weakened, with significant loss of weight and muscle mass.

His first attempt to escape, however, did not immediately bring him to safety. After breaking away from one of the camps, he found himself lost in the bush without knowing 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.

After spending nine days navigating the bush, Salihu encountered another group of armed men and was captured again. He was subsequently taken to another bandit camp, where he said the harsh conditions continued.

“I thought I had escaped. Instead, I met another set of bandits who took me to another camp. The suffering continued,” he recalled.

Salihu’s ordeal finally ended on September 26, 2026, when he and eight other captives managed to escape together.

He said two Fulani men among the captives were able to understand some of the conversations among the kidnappers and shared useful information with the others. When the group noticed that their captors were no longer closely supervising them, they seized the opportunity to flee.

The nine survivors eventually reached Lata Nna, where local residents reportedly provided immediate assistance before soldiers stationed in the area took custody of them.

Salihu said the military debriefed the survivors before they were reunited with their respective families.

Recalling their condition when they arrived in the community, he said some of the escapees were so weak that they could barely stand.

“When we finally walked into Lata Nna, some of us could barely stand,” he said.

Salihu is currently receiving medical care following the physical effects of his prolonged captivity. He is reportedly being treated for severe dehydration and malnutrition after losing considerable weight and muscle mass during the ordeal.

He is also being monitored for the psychological impact of his experience as he begins the process of recovering from more than four months in captivity. His family remains with him as he continues his recovery.