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John Arum Azi speaks after his release. Photo: Champion Newspaper |
A Jos-based keyboard technician, John Arum Azi, is finally free after spending 11 days in the hands of kidnappers who collected N10.3 million from his family for his release.
Azi shared his experience on Sunday after a thanksgiving service at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Jos. According to Champion Newspaper report, he said the kidnappers beat him daily and left him with barely enough food and water throughout his time in captivity.
The ordeal started on April 11, 2026, when Azi got a call from an unknown number in Kaduna. The caller said he needed help fixing a keyboard and sounded like it was a small job. After some convincing and a N15,000 payment for transport, Azi agreed to go. He left Jos early that Saturday morning from Farin Gada motor park, expecting to be back the same day.
But things changed as soon as he arrived in Kaduna. He was taken from Giwa park to a remote village, where the men he met pulled out guns, pointed them at his head, and told him he had been kidnapped.
They took his phone, his tools, and his clothes, gave him another outfit to wear, and immediately called his family to demand N30 million. From there, Azi was forced onto a motorcycle for a six-hour ride into the forests of Zamfara State. By the time they stopped, he said he was completely exhausted.
Life in the kidnappers’ camp was brutal. Azi slept on bare ground, got beaten every day, and had no clean water. He said there were moments he thought he wouldn’t make it out alive.
At first, he was held alone. After his family managed to raise N6.1 million, the kidnappers asked for more. Another victim was brought to the camp during that time, and the two of them stayed together until the family paid a total of N10.3 million. Even feeding was used to break them down. Azi recalled that the kidnappers would eat first with dirty hands, then pass the leftovers to the hostages.
Speaking on the release, Comrade Nyam Vincent Nyam, National President of the Afizere Youths Movement, said the community worked hard to bring Azi home safely. He thanked God and noted that many victims don’t survive even after ransom is paid.
Nyam also appreciated the University of Jos community, private groups, and individuals who contributed money and prayers to help secure Azi’s freedom. He urged young people to be careful when meeting strangers from online and social media contacts, stressing that community support is key in moments like this.
Azi’s release brings relief to his family and friends, but his story is another reminder of how common kidnapping has become and the heavy cost families pay to get their loved ones back.