“They Sent Me Transport Fare”: Kidnap Victim Arum Recounts Being Lured into Zamfara Bush with No Security on the Road

By Emmanuel Kwada

John Arum Azi, a resident of Jos in Plateau State, has shared a harrowing account of his abduction and days in captivity after being lured from Jos into the forests of Zamfara State by suspected kidnappers who posed as clients needing his services.

Arum, who described himself as coming from a modest background and working to support his family, was kidnapped on April 11. In a detailed narration of his ordeal, he explained that the kidnappers contacted him by phone, claiming they needed him to perform work for them and even sent transport fare to facilitate his journey.

“I was kidnapped on the 11th of April. After work here… I even told the reverend I’m travelling to Cardona for work,” Arum recounted.

“They were the ones calling me on phone that I should come and work for them… They sent transport to me. So I was like, okay, let me go and deliver their work.”

John Arum Azi being tortured in Zamfara bush

Trusting what he believed could be a genuine referral or opportunity, Arum travelled to Zaria from Jos. Upon arrival, the callers directed him to another park in the Kaduna area. Despite growing doubts, he proceeded. At the park, arrangements were made with a driver, and he was eventually met by a man on a motorcycle who claimed to be the contact.

The journey quickly turned sinister. Arum was taken deeper into a remote village in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State. There, he encountered an armed individual wielding a sophisticated firearm he claimed never to have seen before. The armed man, he described as a Fulani with dreadlocks, was presented as a “hunter,” but Arum’s suspicions intensified.

They were the ones calling me on phone that I should come and work for them… They sent transport to me.

“They took me on bike… I saw someone was waiting for me… with gun that I’ve never ever seen in my life,” he said. “The person that took me was telling me that I should not be afraid. Is their hunters there”

Moments later, the situation escalated. Arum was ordered to kneel, his phone and bag were seized, and he was forced to change into different clothes. His captors interrogated him about connections to influential people (“big men”), to which he responded that he was from a poor family with no such links.

From Kaduna, Arum was transported on a motorcycle into Zamfara State, a journey that took five to six hours with his face covered. He highlighted the absence of any security presence on the route. Upon reaching the Zamfara hideout around 9 p.m., his hands were tied behind his back and his legs chained, making sleep nearly impossible.

Oh our Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from fire of hell.

The kidnappers immediately contacted Arum’s family, initially demanding a staggering ₦30 million ransom. His elder brother, whose number was provided, expressed shock at the amount.

Negotiations dragged on amid severe torture. Arum revealed he was beaten mercilessly whenever he spoke with his family, sustaining visible marks.

In one particularly traumatic episode, the abductors questioned his identity and faith. Under duress and fearing for his life, Arum initially denied being Christian, claiming to be pagan.

However, during a brutal beating captured in a video, he involuntarily cried out “Jesus,” leading to further assault. He ultimately reaffirmed his Christian faith, after which his captors began referring to him mockingly as “Pastor.”

As a member of St. Peter’s Church on Nkumlar Road, Arum said he repeatedly recited a specific prayer throughout his captivity: “Oh our Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in need of mercy.”

They took me on bike… I saw someone was waiting for me… with gun that I’ve never ever seen in my life.

After four days in the initial hideout, the ransom was negotiated down to ₦6 million. Arum’s family, with support from others, raised and paid ₦6.1 million, including an amount for his transport.

However, the kidnappers did not release him immediately. Instead, they demanded an additional ₦4 million days later, subjecting him to renewed beatings. With further public and community support, the family forwarded the extra sum.

Arum was eventually released on a Tuesday night around 2 a.m. after spending additional days in captivity. He and others were dropped off near a casino area, from where he made his way back to his family. He expressed profound gratitude to God for his survival and to all who contributed to his freedom.

The victim’s story underscores the sophisticated tactics employed by kidnappers in the region—including phone lures and prepaid transport—and the alarming lack of security on major and rural routes connecting Kaduna and Zamfara states.

It also highlights the heavy financial burden placed on families of victims, often forcing communities to rally funds for ransoms.

Kaduna and Zamfara have long been hotspots for banditry and kidnapping activities, with many residents living in fear.

Arum’s ordeal adds to growing calls for enhanced security measures and more proactive intelligence operations to dismantle kidnapping networks that prey on vulnerable citizens.

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