Niger Commissioner narrates miraculous escape from kidnappers’ den

Niger State Commissioner for information, Alhaji Muhammed Sani Idris, on Friday narrated his ordeal at the hands of his kidnappers in the wake of his freedom after four days in captivity.

According to him, the first two nights were spent under dehumanising conditions with his two legs and hands chained without food and water.

Idris further disclosed that he was made to sleep under the rain for the first two nights before his abductors provided him with a cover.

He pointed out that after the first two days, he was later fed with bread and water as the only food under a very harsh and humiliating condition, stressing that he never wished anybody to go through such treatment.

“I was asking them if what they were doing is welcome in the eyes of Allah. Gradually, instead of breaking me, I started breaking them. After then they started giving me bread, water, they untied me and used the only trampoline they had to cover me during the rain while they stayed under the rain. They began to show concern, I kept talking to them and in the long run, they said I should go and reunite with my family, ” he said.

The Commissioner spoke to newsmen after he was received by the speaker of the state house of assembly, Alhaji Bawa Wuse while attributing his release to an act of God.

“My release was miraculous because no ransom was paid,” he stated.

READ ALSO: Man who took N30m ransom to kidnappers of Islamiyya School kids abducted by bandits

He boasted that he would have resigned from the state cabinet if the government had paid any ransom for his release, “that would have to mean going against its policy of not paying ransom to bandits”, he added.

According to him, he was the only victim in the bandits’ den throughout the four days, adding that despite the harsh treatment meted on him, he remained resilient and unbroken.

“I was the only victim with the bandits and they told me that they see my case as a high profile kidnapping and they planned for it very well with different people from different teams to ensure that they succeeded.

“I was not rescued and I didn’t pay any ransom, it was just miraculous. When they started, they were very hard on me and push me to a limit you never expected humans to still be resilient but I give God the glory because I remain there as a believer believing that the God I serve will always be there for me.”

He stated further that at a point, the kidnappers became remorseful and they began to shed tears when he was leaving them adding that, “I held onto the leader and told him that I forgive them for all the humiliations they have taken me through. They began to shed tears and they said that they pray that their meeting with me will be an end point to their banditry.”

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