Bandits killed my wife in my presence, they are stark illiterates – Rescued Deputy Director narrates

A Deputy Director at the National Assembly Commission, Michael Adesiyan, has recounted his harrowing ordeal in the den of bandits.

Adesiyan was abducted from his Chikakore residence in Kubwa, a suburb in the nation’s capital, alongside his wife on January 26th, 2025 before he was rescued on April 7.

The civil servant narrated his ordeal to journalists at National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Abuja, when fresh 60 kidnapped victims, who were rescued by the security forces were presented to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

READ ALSO: Police overpower bandits, rescue abducted varsity students 

Adesiyan called on the federal government to immediately look for a way to disarm the criminals and educate them, and possibly reintegrate them back to the society, adding that “the bandits don’t know what they are doing.”

According to him, his abductors were between the ages of 17 and 20, and they were stark illiterate people who were not aware of what they were doing, and could not even count ₦1million let alone hundreds of millions they were asking as ransom.

He specifically said he was chained for the 32 days he spent in the abductors’ den, adding that they killed his wife in his presence.

“I want to thank the government for rescuing us. I was chained for 32 days. I want to advise that the government should find away to disarm or arrest them (bandits), instead of confronting them.

“They can send them to school. Some cannot even count one million. They are stark illiterates. They are young people of ages 17 and 21. They don’t know what they are doing.

“So if they can bring them out, if they want to learn work (apprenticeship), they can let them do, retrain them, reorientate them, that they can be useful to themselves.

“My advice is to, instead of killing them, arrest them, reorientate them. If you want to educate them, they can then work. That’s my advice,” he said.

When asked why they were in a rush to tell their family members to pay ransom, he said, “When they kill someone in your presence, you would give them anything they want.

“For instance, they killed my wife in my presence. If they request your head in that situation, you will give it to them.”

Earlier, 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.

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