By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Ishaya Kukah, brother of Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has narrated his ordeal in the hands of bandits.
He was among the 60 rescued victims received by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Sharing his experience after the captivity Ishaya said: “Frankly speaking, I had already concluded that I will not see this world again due to how they were treating us in the bush.
“ We suffered too much in the bush.They used to chain us together in twos. If you are going to pass feaces, you move with the other one. If you are going to urinate, you move together.”
He explained that family members of the victims were forced to pay ransom due to the inhuman treatment the bandits subject their victims.
He said: “ Some people complain that why should families pay ransom? It is because of pressure of beating that their victims agree to pay money. Because if they discover that you don’t want say you will give money, will beat you as if you will die. They will kill you .”
He expressed appreciation to the security forces for their efforts which he said led to their rescue.
He said;”It is due to the efforts of the Federal Government, our security forces, that we are out. If not, up to now, we will still be in the bush. So we thank you very much for what you have done for us. God bless you.”
Also narrating his ordeal, a Deputy Director of the National Assembly Commission, Adeshinya Michael, said he saw ‘hell’ in the hands of his abductors.
“ I was chained for 32 days,” he said.
Michael who was abducted from his residence on January 26 in Kubwa, a suburb in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), also thanked the Federal Government for rescuing them.
He, however, urged the government to find a way to disarm the bandits, educate them and reintegrate them to the society.
According to him, his abductors were between the ages of 17 and 20.
He said: “I want to advise that the government should find a way to disarm or arrest them (bandits) instead of confronting them or killing them. They are young people of ages 17 and 21, and illiterates. They don’t know what they are doing. Government can send them to school or engage them in vocational training. They can be useful to the society.”
Speaking on the issue of ransom payment Michael said the fear of death makes many abductees dance to the bandits’ tune.
“When they kill someone in your presence you will give them anything they want,” he said. “For instance they killed my wife in my presence. If they request for your head in that situation you will give it to them,” he added.
Speaking while receiving the victims, the NSA said they were rescued as a result of military operations.
He said : “I want to once again use the opportunity to thank our Armed Forces and other security forces. Indeed, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our security is improving day by day.
“We are doing what we are asked to do. We are serving our country. We are restoring order, security, and stability, and we are getting freedom back to our people. We will continue to do so. We will not relent.”
Ribadu urged the loved ones of kidnapped persons not to pay ransom to criminals, adding that it was fuelling the scourge.
He said: “But I want to also use the opportunity to talk to our people. Please, stop giving money to bandits. It’s one of the worst things that is happening. It’s the most difficult thing we are facing. Many of these people, as you see them, their families have given money to these people. But it did not lead to their release.
‘It is the security forces that have got them out of the bandits captivity. It’s not the money that they gave. The more you give the bad people money, the more you are compounding the problems for us. We have never given anybody a dime. And we don’t want people to do so.
“Please, stop it,” Ribadu pleaded.
While giving a breakdown, the Coordinator, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Maj. Gen Adamu Laka said the victims, comprising 35 males and 25 females, were rescued on Monday April 7, by troops of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, in a coordinated operation supported by other security and intelligence agencies.