A freed kidnap victim, Prince Obioma Wisdom Nwauwa, has recounted his harrowing ordeal in captivity, revealing that his family had to pay a ₦10 million ransom alongside food and beverage supplies to secure his release.

Nwauwa was abducted on June 10, 2026, along the Ogbaku-Ejemakuru-Akabo Road in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State while returning home from a trip.

Speaking in Owerri after his release, he described the kidnappers’ hideout as a terrifying camp where captives were subjected to severe abuse, intimidation, and constant fear. He further revealed that two other captives tragically lost their lives while he was held in the camp.

According to Nwauwa, the abductors demanded ₦10 million in cash from his family. In addition to the monetary ransom, they ordered the family to provide two cartons of Malta Guinness, cooked rice with plenty of meat, cigarettes, and Indian hemp. He noted that his younger brother delivered the food and drinks but refused to supply the Indian hemp.

The victim identified his abductors as armed men dressed in military camouflage and carrying AK-47 rifles, noting that they spoke the Fulani language.

Following his narrow escape from death, Nwauwa called on the state and federal governments to urgently intensify security operations by combing the forests across Imo State, specifically targeting notorious flashpoints in Owerri West, Irete, Njaba, Oguta, and the Okigwe axis. He also appealed to authorities to take decisive action to block the supply lines of illegal arms reaching bandits in the region.