Fake job offer led me to kidnappers’ den – UNIJOS graduate

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A graduate of the University of Jos, John Arum Azi, has recounted his traumatic experience after spending 11 days in captivity following a fake job offer that allegedly lured him into the hands of kidnappers in Zamfara State.

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Azi narrated his ordeal during a testimony at a church in Tudun Wada, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Sunday.

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According to him, he was abducted on April 11, 2026, shortly after travelling from Jos to Zaria, Kaduna State, for what he believed was a legitimate welding job opportunity.

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He explained that the suspected kidnappers had persistently contacted him by phone, offering him welding work and even sending him transport fare to convince him the offer was genuine.

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“They kept calling me, asking me to come and work for them. They even sent transport money, so I believed it was a real job,” he said.

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Azi said after arriving in Zaria, he contacted the individuals, who instructed him to board a motorcycle heading to a village.

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Although he became suspicious during the journey, he ignored the warning signs because he desperately needed work.

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“I started having doubts, but I told myself maybe it was a connection that could help me. I did not know they were kidnappers,” he said.

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According to him, moments after arriving at the village, a man approached him claiming to be the person who had contacted him about the job.

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He said he was then taken on a motorcycle into a remote forest where he noticed another heavily armed man waiting for them.

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“I saw a gun I had never seen before in my life. The man told me not to be afraid and claimed the person was a hunter, but deep down I knew something was wrong,” he recounted.

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Azi said he was immediately forced to kneel while the kidnappers searched him, seized his phone, bag and work tools, and handed him strange clothes and a face mask to wear.

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He added that the abductors later moved him from Kaduna through Giwa Local Government Area into Zamfara State after several hours of travelling on motorcycles through forests and isolated routes.

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“We spent almost six hours moving through the bush on motorcycles. There was no security anywhere,” he said.

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According to him, upon arriving at the camp, the kidnappers tied his hands and legs before contacting his family and demanding a ransom of N30m.

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“I gave them my elder brother’s number. They called him and demanded N30m,” he said.

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Azi further narrated how he was repeatedly tortured and interrogated about his religion while in captivity.

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“They were shooting guns everywhere and asking questions. Out of fear, I initially denied being a Christian because I thought they would kill me,” he said.

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However, he said severe beatings by the abductors eventually forced him to confess his faith.

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“While they were beating me, I suddenly shouted ‘Jesus.’ That was when they discovered I was a Christian,” he added.

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According to him, the kidnappers thereafter nicknamed him “Pastor” throughout his stay in captivity.

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Azi said constant prayers and faith in God kept him alive during the ordeal.

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“The only thing I kept doing was praying and asking God to save me,” he said.

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He explained that after negotiations, the kidnappers reduced the ransom demand from N30m to N6m.

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However, even after receiving the money, the abductors allegedly delayed his release and demanded an additional N4m.

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“They started beating me again and said my family should add another N4m. At that point, I thought I would not survive,” he said.

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According to him, support from relatives, friends and sympathisers eventually secured his freedom after several days in captivity.

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The UNIJOS graduate said he returned home traumatised but grateful to be alive.

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