Treasure Ayuba (14) escaped from his kidnappers at the end of October and arrived home on 2 November, after over two years in captivity. He is the last of the 121 students kidnapped at gunpoint from Bethel Baptist School in Damishi, Kaduna state to gain his freedom.

Treasure turned 12 three days before armed Fulani militants abducted him from his school dormitory in July 2021 and was the youngest and smallest of the kidnapping victims. He and 120 classmates were forced to walk for hours until they reached the militants’ camp where they were held hostage. The other boys were released in groups over the following months as ransoms were paid, with the last two released on 28 December 2021 and 1 January 2022.

Some sources reported that the militants refused to release Treasure because they planned to convert him to Islam, but other sources say the militants groomed him to the extent that when a negotiator arrived with a ransom to secure his release he refused to leave and the negotiator (a member of the Christian Association of Nigeria) was taken captive.

Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said in early 2022, “The remaining student preferred to remain with the bandits, it puzzled the entire members of the Baptist family and indeed, CAN. The bandits were said to be showering the boy with gifts each time they went out and come back from operations, thereby making him reject the offer of freedom.” 

Escape

Treasure’s escape began when he managed to sneak away from his captors last month, walking at night and hiding during the day. Eventually he met some hunters who helped him reach his home town – his mother did not know he had escaped until he turned up at the door of their home.

Joseph Hayab reported that Treasure had been given a degree of freedom within the kidnappers’ enclave and was occasionally given pocket money. However he has been traumatised by his experiences, as have all the children who were held captive, and trauma care is planned for him. Joseph Hayab described Treasure’s captivity as “an infinite time of agonising pain until God intervened” and said that Treasure’s health was a concern, as he was vomiting after eating upon his return.

Reacting to the news, Rev Dr Israel Akanji, President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, wrote on social media: “Glory be to God! Glory be to God!! Glory be to God!!! Treasure Ayuba, the last boy who was still with the bandits who kidnapped the 121 students of Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna, on July 5 2021, has just returned home!”

Ransom payments

Local pastor Winyadebi Rolis reported that parents and the national Baptist convention paid ransoms to the abductors to secure the release of the children. “Christians from the Nigerian Baptist Convention, which runs Bethel High School, were forced to negotiate with the terrorists over ransom demands,” he said. “To see their children released, parents along with the convention have had to pay the very same people who abducted their children 250,000,000 Nigerian naira [approximately €280,000].

“When the convention first started negotiating with the extremists over ransom payments, they thought that all the children would be released. However, to the anguish of the parents, the children were only released in batches with extremists then demanding more money to release the next batch of students.”

Kidnappings for ransom have become common throughout northern and central Nigeria, as a way for Islamist terrorist groups to fund their campaigns of violence and to weaken and intimidate Christian communities and churches.

Kidnapping victim killed after ransom paid

Victims are not always released after ransoms are paid. Earlier this month, armed terrorists kidnapped a pastor from the Evangelical Church Winning All, Rev David Musa, in Kogi state and shot him three days later, despite church leaders paying a ransom for his release.

Rev David was abducted from his farm in the Obajana area of Lokoja Local Government Area on 11 November. Church members said the terrorists demanded 20 million naira (approximately €22,400) but agreed to accept 1 million naira (€1,120) as the church was unable to raise the 20 million naira demanded.

Two church members went to recover the pastor on 14 November but after the kidnappers told them to take Pastor Musa and leave, they called the pastor to return and shot him dead.

(Barnabas, Christian Post, Morning Star News, Open Doors, Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin, Vanguard)

Photos: Barnabas, Morning Star News/Facebook