Two victims abducted during an attack on St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Inoyi-Affa, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, have recounted the seven days they spent in captivity, describing brutal treatment, forced marches through forests and mountains, and prolonged deprivation of food and water.
The victims, 70-year-old church member Emmanuel Onwudi and seminarian Lawrence Chidera Igbo, spoke to journalists after their release, recounting their ordeal following the invasion of the church during a morning service on Sunday, August 2.
Igbo, who had accompanied his parish priest to the church’s outstation for Mass, said he was waiting for worshippers to prepare for the service when he noticed a man near the bush around the church.
He said he initially paid little attention to the man, believing he was simply passing by.
However, the situation changed moments later when armed men suddenly appeared and surrounded the church.
“My name is Igbo Lawrence Chidera. I’m a seminarian. I’m from Affa, Amozalla village, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State,” he began.
“On Sunday, after celebrating the 6 a.m. Mass with my parish priest in the parish, he asked me to assist him in the outstation. I got there, but the church members were not yet prepared for the service, so I was waiting for them.”
According to him, he became aware of the danger when the gunmen began calling out to him.
“After some time, I decided to return to the altar area to give them more time to prepare,” he said.
“Before I knew it, I heard somebody shouting, ‘Hey, you! You! We are looking for you.’ When I turned back, I saw men carrying guns. When I wanted to run, I discovered they had already surrounded the church. Some of them were outside waiting. There was no way to escape, so I surrendered.”
Igbo said the abductors immediately took him into the bush and forced him to trek for several hours.
“They took me into the bush. We trekked from around 9 a.m. until about 6 p.m. We were wandering through the forest. When they realised they couldn’t cross the Nsukka-Enugu Expressway during the day, they kept us hidden until it became dark.
“When they saw there were no vehicles coming, they made us cross to the other side of the road. From there, they took us up a mountain. We kept wandering from one place to another and we didn’t know where they were taking us,” he added.
He said the abductors repeatedly ordered the captives to sit with their faces to the ground whenever they stopped.
“They would just put us in one place and tell us, ‘Sit down, face the ground.’ We kept moving until the night,” he said.
Igbo said they eventually arrived at the location where they were held between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., remaining there for the next seven days.
He alleged that the kidnappers repeatedly assaulted and threatened the captives throughout the period.
“It was around 3 or 4 a.m. that we reached the place where they kept us for seven days. During those seven days, they kept beating us.
“They used machetes, stones and sticks on us. What we went through during those seven days was terrible. They kept threatening us that if we made any mistake, they would shoot us.”
Igbo said their release came after the ransom demanded by the kidnappers was paid.
“After the ransom was paid, we were released. To the glory of God, we later heard that one of them was captured by the military,” he said.
“When I saw the people they arrested today, they were exactly the same people who kept us in the bush throughout those seven days. To the glory of God, we are alive.”
Onwudi, who turned 70 during the period, said the attack caused panic among worshippers as the gunmen invaded the church.
“My name is Emmanuel Onwudi. I am 70 years old. I’m from Inoyi-Affa in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State,” he said.
“On August 2, we were in the church when suddenly there was commotion. Everybody started running. As I was about to go outside, one of the gunmen held me and told me to turn back and follow them.”
“I said, ‘Okay, no problem.’ I surrendered because I didn’t want to run. From there, they took us into the bush. Everything the seminarian has said is exactly what happened. We stayed in the bush for about seven days,” he said.
The elderly victim said the captives spent the first three days without food or water, adding that they were only given basic provisions after ransom negotiations began.
“From the first day to the third day, we did not eat anything. We didn’t even drink water,” he said.
“It was when our families started negotiating with them and promised to bring N11 million that they first gave us water. They later cooked rice and beans for us.”
Onwudi said the violence against them intensified after the ransom demand was reduced.
“When the ransom was reduced from N11 million to N3.5 million, they started beating us every day,” he said.
“It was only after the ransom payment was finally agreed upon and our people rallied round to raise the money and pay them that they released us.”
He disclosed that three people were initially taken from the church but said the kidnappers later abandoned the catechist because of his health condition.
“The kidnappers were seven in number,” he said.
“When we entered the bush, the catechist couldn’t continue because he wasn’t feeling well. They left him behind and took only the two of us deeper into the forest.
“We crossed the Nsukka Expressway and entered through the old road from 9th Mile to Opi Junction. From there, we went into the bush and stayed there for the seven days.”
Following their release, Onwudi said relatives took the victims to a hospital for medical attention because of the injuries they sustained during the captivity.
“When we came home, our people said we should go to the hospital for medical check-up because of the beatings we suffered. That is why we are here today,” he said.
The accounts of the two survivors underscore the severity of the kidnapping incident and the physical and psychological trauma suffered during their seven-day captivity after the church was attacked during Sunday worship.
