The last of the 121 victims of Bethel Baptist High School abduction, Treasure Ayuba, has escaped after being held by his captors for more than two years.
Ayuba was one of the pupils abducted from the school located in the Kaduna metropolis on July 5, 2021.
The bandits later released the students in batches after collecting millions of naira for the release of each batch
The chairman of Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association Nigeria (CAN), Joseph Hayab, confirmed that the 13-year-old boy returned home on Thursday and had been reunited with his parents.
He said the boy told him that his abductors gave him a special treatment and were planning to convert him to Islam and groom him to maturity so he could marry and raise Muslim family.
“We are grateful to God for the escape of Treasure Ayuba, one of the 121 students of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna on July 5, 2021. When all hope seemed to be lost, God did His miracle,” Hayab said.
He said Ayuba arrived home about 4p.m. on Thursday after journeying for over seven hours.
He said the boy’s parents immediately called him (Hayab) and handed over Ayuba to him.
“The boy looked healthy but he was vomiting after eating food; so we took him to the hospital for medical examination.
“I have interacted with him and he told me how he escaped from his captors.
“Contrary to speculations that the boy chose to live with the bandits, the true story is that his abductors decided that they will keep him as a reward to convert him to Islam, so that he could marry and raise Muslim children,” Hayab added.
After escaping from the kidnappers’ captivity, the CAN chairman “Ayuba got to a town which he couldn’t identify, but there was a bus looking for passengers going to Kaduna.
“He paid N6, 000 as transport fare and got to Kaduna after over seven hours’ drive.
“He told me that since the bandits considered him as one of them, they allowed him free movement in their enclave.
“He told me that whenever the bandits were going on their operations, they left him at ‘home’.
“He said they often give him some pocket money after their operations.
“He was the youngest among those abducted, so they were treating him as a small child. They were calling him ‘smally’ and he was given special treatment.
“He was given two mobile telephones by his kidnappers but he couldn’t contact his parents or anybody because he had no anybody’s telephone number.
“He told me that those who abducted the students were either killed during kidnapping operations or in airstrikes.”
With ThisDay report
