“UniJos Student Azi’s Harrowing Tale: A Family’s Journey Through Abduction and Release”
A scholar from the University of Jos, John Arum Azi, who was held captive for approximately two weeks returned to Jos, the capital of Plateau State, on Wednesday around 10pm, after liberating himself.
The individual was kidnapped while journeying to Kaduna from Jos. A footage of him enduring torture by his captors sparked reactions nationwide and beyond.
His abductors subsequently relocated Azi from Kaduna to Zamfara, leading to speculation that he had been murdered.
A brief clip circulated online on Tuesday indicating that he had been freed and was accompanied by someone who seemed to be his relative.
His older brother, Bulus, verified that he has been reunited with their family and has been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) for medical care.
Bulus indicated that Azi informed the family upon his return that he was not taken while en route to Kaduna as widely claimed, but rather in Zaria, where he had gone for employment.
In his words, “Azi had already made it to Zaria and was headed to meet his contact for the position he sought when he was snatched and taken into the wilderness.”
Bulus, while recounting how Azi was set free, mentioned that their family had maintained communication with the abductors since the victim was captured, highlighting that they consistently sent money for recharge cards when requested.
Occasionally, he elaborated that the kidnappers would claim they were ill themselves and requested funds for their medications, emphasizing that they continued to negotiate the ransom, initially set at N6 million.
He remarked that when the kidnappers noticed the crowdfunding efforts online, they escalated the ransom to N15 million, noting that they made appeals, eventually agreeing on N10,315,000, which was the amount ultimately paid to the abductors.
Azi and another captive, he clarified, were transported via motorcycles from Zamfara to Zaria, with an armed member of the kidnappers trailing behind after the ransom was settled.
Upon reaching Zaria, Bulus also explained that the other captive — a Muslim youth from Toro in Bauchi State — reached out to a relative, who hurried them to a hospital where they were promptly given intravenous fluids.
He detailed that after the initial treatment in Zaria, they arranged for transportation from Jos to Zaria to bring him back, mentioning that Azi arrived on Thursday night around 10pm, and was promptly taken to JUTH for adequate treatment.
He expressed dismay that Azi’s body bore marks from the lashes he received from the kidnappers.
When questioned if security agencies or government officials were in touch with them during the ordeal, he further clarified that they reported the incident to the police when the video first emerged, and that the DSS also reached out to them at the beginning.
However, after Azi was liberated, he noted that the police only contacted them after observing the video online and offered to assist in escorting them home, but arrived after the family had already collected him and taken him to JUTH.
