A prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Ibi Philip, has recounted his harrowing eight-day ordeal after being abducted alongside 11 other travelers in Edo State and held captive in a dense Kogi State forest.

Philip, a graduate of Benue State University, Makurdi, was traveling aboard a Benue Links Nig. Ltd. bus en route to the NYSC orientation camp in Akure, Ondo State, on September 30, 2026, when their vehicle was ambushed at Ibilo, Edo State.

While the driver and two passengers managed to escape, 12 remaining occupants were marched into the wilderness toward Okene, Kogi State.

Speaking in an emotional account shared on Sunday, Philip detailed how the armed gang initially demanded a staggering ₦50 million ransom for his release.

"I told them the kidnappers were demanding ₦50 million as ransom," Philip recalled of his initial contact with his family. "The amount was later reduced to ₦30 million... then ₦20 million and then ₦10 million."

Throughout their time in captivity, the victims endured severe physical abuse, slept on bare rocks, survived heavy downpours, and were fed meagre portions of garri, rice, and beans.

Philip revealed he was singled out for severe beatings after captors found his ID card listing an address opposite a police station, accusing him of being an undercover officer.

He further disclosed that speaking about money with his family put his life in immediate danger whenever the captors monitored calls on loudspeaker.

"At one point, I called my father, and he told me he had ₦500,000," Philip stated. "The kidnappers became angry because they wanted to hear millions, not thousands. That day, I was severely beaten."

After desperate efforts by families and friends to pool resources, including selling personal belongings, Philip's father raised ₦1.7 million. The kidnappers instructed family representatives to deliver the ransom via Lokoja and Okene on Thursday, October 8.

Upon collecting and verifying the money, the gang leader ordered their release and unexpectedly handed each victim ₦2,000 for local transportation.

"After everything we had endured, the head of the kidnappers even gave each of us ₦2,000 and told us to leave quickly," Philip said. "I went through the valley, but the valley did not have the final say."

Transit corridors connecting Edo, Kogi, and Ondo states have frequently faced security challenges regarding interstate commercial buses, prompting calls from transport unions for enhanced military and police patrols along forest routes.

ID