Ishaya Kukah, brother to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah, has recounted his horrible experience in the hands of bandits who had held him and others captive.
Kukah spoke with journalists on Tuesday when the National Security Adviser, NSA, Malam Nuhu Ribadu and the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, handed over 60 rescued victims to their families in Abuja.
He explained he had given up hope of surviving before his rescue with others by the troops of the 1 Division Nigerian Army in Kaduna.
Kukah said: “Frankly speaking, I had already given up. I didn't think I'd come out alive because of how they were treating us in the bush.
“We suffered too much. They used to chain us in twos. If you wanted to defecate or urinate, you had to move together.
“If not for the Federal Government of Nigeria, we'd still be in the bush. Thank you for what you've done. God bless you.
“I was chained for 32 days. They [bandits] don’t know what they are doing.
“Some of them [bandits] want to learn trades. They can still be useful.”