We Spent Weeks Without Food, Slept In The Rain – Kaduna Kidnap Victim

A rescued 50-year-old resident of Ungwa Makama, Kajuru local government area of Kaduna State resident, Kato Gumi, who spent 56 days in captivity, has recounted the harrowing conditions he and other victims endured in the forest.

The most horrible them were prolonged hunger, physical abuse and exposure to rain.

Gumi, who was abducted on 18th June, 2026, and was released on 13th August, 2026, told LEADERSHIP that the captives sometimes stayed for two weeks without food, while they slept in the bush under grass, exposed to rain and other natural hazards.

Gumi recounted how the prolonged lack of food left him and other captives struggling to survive, saying they sometimes spent up to two weeks without eating and were occasionally given only pap in a small takeaway containers.
“Sometimes in a week, and sometimes we spent two weeks without anything to eat. They were not giving us food. It was only pap in a small takeaway bottle. We were sleeping in the bush, under the grass, in the rain and other hard conditions,” he said.
According to Gumi, he and three others were abducted from their village when armed men stormed the community with sophisticated weapons.
He explained that the victims were handcuffed and taken on a journey lasting about two days before they got to a camp deep inside the Rijana forest, where he met more than 20 other captives, including men, women and children.
Gumi further disclosed that both his hands and legs were chained during his captivity.

He added that they ate and defecated in the same place where they were kept.

“I was asked if I wanted to take tea. I said yes. I did not know that it was beating. When I responded yes, that was why they beat me and injured me,” he said.

Gumi also disclosed that about four male captives died while they were being held, although he noted that no child died during the period he spent in the camp.

“It was a very bad experience because we felt terrified. They humiliated us, treated us badly and at some time they pointed guns at us. So there was no freedom, and you could not have peace of mind. There was no sleeping,” he narrated.

He also alleged that the abductors wanted affected communities to accept an arrangement that would allow them to operate freely in the areas.

According to him, the demand, as presented to the captives, went beyond a peace arrangement and was perceived by the victims as an attempt to gain control over their communities.

“They want us to agree so that they can take over our communities, our wives and our children. And they can stay and even pass through our community without any interference. And we refused. So that is why they are kidnapping our people. We are reporting them, and we are fighting against them,” he said.

He, however, disclosed that he could not establish the exact number of communities that had entered into similar arrangements with the abductors.