How Fake Job Offer Landed Me in Kidnappers’ Den – UNIJOS Graduate

• A University of Jos graduate, John Arum Azi, has narrated how a fake welding job offer allegedly lured him into the hands of kidnappers in Zamfara State, where he spent 11 days in captivity before regaining freedom.

A graduate of the University of Jos, John Arum Azi, has recounted his traumatic experience after spending 11 days in captivity following a fake job offer that allegedly led to his abduction in Zamfara State.

Azi shared his ordeal during a testimony at a church in Tudun Wada, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

According to him, he was abducted on April 11, 2026, after travelling from Jos to Zaria, Kaduna State, for what he believed was a genuine welding job opportunity.

He explained that the suspected kidnappers had repeatedly contacted him by phone, offering him welding work and even sending transport fare to convince him the offer was legitimate.

“They kept calling me, asking me to come and work for them. They even sent transport money, so I believed it was a real job,” he said.

Azi said after arriving in Zaria, he contacted the individuals, who instructed him to board a motorcycle heading to a village.

Although he became suspicious during the journey, he ignored the warning signs because he desperately needed work.

“I started having doubts, but I told myself maybe it was a connection that could help me. I did not know they were kidnappers,” he said.

According to him, shortly after arriving at the village, a man approached him claiming to be the person who contacted him about the job.

He said he was later taken deep into a remote forest on a motorcycle, where he noticed another heavily armed man waiting for them.

“I saw a gun I had never seen before in my life. The man told me not to be afraid and claimed the person was a hunter, but deep down I knew something was wrong,” he recounted.

Azi said the kidnappers immediately forced him to kneel, searched him, seized his phone, bag, and work tools, and handed him strange clothes and a face mask to wear.

He added that the abductors later moved him through Giwa Local Government Area into Zamfara State after several hours of travelling on motorcycles through forests and isolated routes.

“We spent almost six hours moving through the bush on motorcycles. There was no security anywhere,” he said.

According to him, upon arriving at the kidnappers’ camp, his hands and legs were tied while the abductors contacted his family and demanded a ransom of N30 million.

“I gave them my elder brother’s number. They called him and demanded N30m,” he said.

Azi also narrated how he was repeatedly beaten and interrogated about his religion while in captivity.

Out of fear, he initially denied being a Christian but later shouted “Jesus” while being tortured, which revealed his faith to the abductors.

“They started calling me ‘Pastor’ after that,” he said.

He said prayers and faith in God kept him alive throughout the ordeal.

“The only thing I kept doing was praying and asking God to save me,” he added.

According to Azi, the kidnappers later reduced the ransom demand from N30 million to N6 million after negotiations with his family.

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However, even after receiving the payment, the abductors allegedly demanded an additional N4 million before eventually releasing him.

“They started beating me again and said my family should add another N4m. At that point, I thought I would not survive,” he said.

The UNIJOS graduate said support from relatives, friends, and sympathisers eventually secured his freedom after several days in captivity.

He described the experience as deeply traumatic but expressed gratitude for surviving the ordeal.