A graduate of the University of Jos, John Arum Azi, has narrated how suspected kidnappers allegedly lured him into captivity with a fake welding job offer and held him hostage for 11 days in a forest in Zamfara State.
Azi shared his experience during a testimony at a church in Tudun Wada area of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, revealing that the suspected abductors repeatedly contacted him by phone and even sent him transport fare to convince him the job was genuine.
According to him, the incident began on April 11, 2026, after he travelled from Jos to Zaria in Kaduna State in search of the promised job offer.
Azi explained that after arriving in Zaria, the people behind the offer instructed him to board a motorcycle to a remote village where the supposed welding work was located. He admitted that he became uncomfortable during the trip but ignored the warning signs because he desperately needed a job.
According to him, shortly after reaching the village, he met a man who claimed to be the person that had invited him for the welding work. He said he was later taken deeper into a forest on a motorcycle where an armed man was waiting.
Azi said the abductors immediately searched him, seized his belongings including his phone, welding tools and bag, and handed him strange clothes and a face mask before transporting him for almost six hours on motorcycle through isolated routes from Kaduna into Zamfara State.
He disclosed that after arriving at the camp, the kidnappers tied his hands and legs before contacting his family to demand N30 million ransom.
The victim further narrated that he endured torture and intense interrogation while in captivity, adding that the abductors repeatedly questioned him about his religion. Out of fear, he initially denied being a Christian.
Azi revealed that after severe beatings, he eventually shouted “Jesus,” which exposed his Christian identity to the kidnappers. According to him, the abductors thereafter nicknamed him “Pastor” throughout his stay in captivity.
“The only thing I kept doing was praying and asking God to save me,” he said.
Azi disclosed that after negotiations, the kidnappers reduced the ransom from N30 million to N6 million. However, he alleged that despite receiving the N6 million payment, the abductors still demanded an additional N4 million.
He said the intervention of relatives, friends and sympathisers eventually secured his freedom after 11 days in captivity, adding that he returned home traumatised but thankful to be alive.
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