“We Spent 11 Days in the Forest”: Adamawa Man Recounts Kidnap Ordeal, N7m Ransom Demand
- A family in Adamawa has endured 11 days in captivity, while kidnappers demanded millions in ransom
- They recounted selling assets and farmland to meet kidnappers’ demands amid rising fear and insecurity
- Victims have appealed for urgent government and public support as local security remains inadequate
Kidnapping in Adamawa state continues to leave residents traumatised, breeding fear, pain, and deep uncertainty about survival. Across many communities, rising insecurity has forced people into a life of constant anxiety and hopelessness.
Source: Getty Images
In Madagali Local Government Area, a resident of Kirchinga community was abducted from his home around midnight on Thursday, December 18, 2025, along with his two sons and his uncle.
Residents suspect the attacks are coordinated, noting that the kidnappers repeatedly target relatively well-off families and demand identical ransom amounts.
Community members are particularly disturbed by how the criminals appear to have detailed knowledge of the area. As insecurity worsens, affected families say they now live in constant fear for their safety.
Family sells assets to pay ransom
Speaking to Legit.ng correspondent, the victim, who preferred anonymity, expressed,
"We were at home around 12 a.m when we heard footsteps within the house, and when I went out to check, a gun was pointed at me, and I was instructed not to talk or shout, because if I did, they would kidnap and kill everyone in my house. So I obliged with them to avoid them attacking my family."
"Surprisingly for me, as we were going out of the community, some of them came together with 3 people who are my 2 sons and my uncle. I asked them why they took my family members after taking me. They said, when we reach the forest, they will leave them there, but I pleaded with them."
"We spent 11 days in the forest with them; they called my family and demanded a sum of N7 million, including other items that are numerous in number, which almost filled a truck."
Source: Getty Images
He further lamented that,
"We don't have such an amount of money, my family had to sell all of our assets just to make sure we meet their demand, our farmlands, our food items, and other investments were all sold out just to raise the amount they demanded."
"They injured me on my leg. I have never seen those kinds of people in my entire life; their tone is different from ours, it's scary."
Asked if the government had intervened in any way since he was a public official, he said:
"The government has not intervened in any way. We don't have strong security in our community to help us in such moments. We are living in deep fear of the unknown; each day and night we pray to God to help us and save us."
"I'm pleading to the government, non-governmental organisations, and the entire public to come to our aid and to put us in prayer every day. We need protection."
Adamawa ex-councillor killed, sons abducted
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that a former Madagali local government councillor, Shamalsinmi Umaru, was shot dead at his home in Adamawa state, heightening fear in the Kirchinga community.
Unknown gunmen abducted his two sons during the violent attack on November 28, 2025, demanding a ₦7 million ransom as the family scrambled to meet their captors’ demands.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
