Rofiat Lawal, a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has shared the terrifying details of her abduction along the Benin-Ore Expressway last Tuesday. The kidnappers, she revealed, threatened to force her into marriage and take her to Sokoto if her family failed to pay a ransom.
Lawal was on her way to her primary assignment in Oyo State from Edo when gunmen ambushed the vehicle she was traveling in. In an exclusive interview with Punch on Sunday, she recalled the moment their vehicle was attacked.
“I was sitting in the front when I heard gunshots. When I looked up, I saw three armed men blocking the road, with another three positioned behind us.
The driver tried to escape, but they overpowered him,” she said.
The gunmen ordered everyone out of the vehicle and forced six passengers, including Lawal, into the bush. The attackers robbed them of their valuables, including cash and mobile phones. Market women among the victims lost between ₦600,000 and ₦1.2 million, while Lawal herself was stripped of ₦15,000 and her NYSC uniform—one of the kidnappers even wore it.
For the next four days, the captives endured long treks, starvation, and violence. Lawal recalled that on the first day alone, they walked from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. deep into the forest. During the day, they were ordered to sit in hiding, only to be forced to march again at night.
“The older victims, mostly traders, were beaten repeatedly,” she said. “I was not physically tortured like the others, but one of them told me he would marry me and take me to Sokoto if my family didn’t pay the ransom.”
The abductors, she said, were well-prepared, carrying a cooler filled with garri, which they occasionally shared with the captives. Lawal revealed that each victim’s ransom varied, with some families paying between ₦2 million and ₦3 million, depending on negotiations. Eventually, she was released after her family managed to gather the ransom.
Following her traumatic experience, Lawal has requested time to rest before resuming her NYSC duties.
“The NYSC authorities have reached out to me, and I appreciate their concern. My appeal is for some time to recover and receive medical attention,” she said.
Despite the ordeal, she remains committed to the NYSC program. “I do not regret participating in the NYSC because what will happen will happen.
Others who were kidnapped with me were not even corps members,” she stated.
