The Sun Newspaper driver, Malam Ibrahim, on Thursday narrowly escaped from kidnappers after he was abducted alongside several other travelers in the early hours of the same day, along Kaduna-Abuja highway.
Recounting his ordeal, Ibrahim said he escaped from the kidnappers’ hands, having slumped in the bush, making his abductors believe that he was sick and would not be fit to trek the long distance to their camp.
The driver who was conveying Thursday’s edition of The Sun Newspaper from Abuja to Kaduna for distribution, said the kidnappers, in large numbers, occupied the two sides of the highway, shooting sporadically.
He said while he was lying down feigning to be very sick, the kidnappers moved freely with other travelers far into the bush.
According to Ibrahim, the incident happened in the early hours of Thursday around Alheri Camp axis of the highway.
He said he reported the incident at the tollgate police station, and was asked to write a statement, from where The Sun marketing staff in Kaduna, Mr. Sam evacuated the newspaper to the office for distribution.
He said, “I was driving from Abuja to Kaduna to deliver our newspaper when all of a sudden we ran into a large number of kidnappers around Alheri Camp area early hours of this morning. They were shooting and every traveler was stopped by the kidnappers who collected all our mobile phones and moved us into the bush.
“While we were moving in the bush, at a point, I pretended to be too sick and slumped, and they left me lying down until they finished their operations of moving more travelers into the bush.
“I now drove to the tollgate police station near Kaduna town, where my statement was taken, but because of shock and the trauma, I left my vehicle at the tollgate police station. And the police said whenever I am ready I should come for my vehicle,” he narrated.
Efforts by Blueprint correspondent to obtain police confirmation was futile as Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) ASP Mohammed Jalige’s phone rang continuously without reply.
