Lured by a Fake Job Offer, UNIJOS Graduate Falls Into Kidnappers’ Trap

John Arum Azi, a graduate of the University of Jos, has shared his harrowing ordeal after spending 11 days in captivity, following a fake job offer that led to his abduction in Zamfara State.

Azi recounted his experience during a testimony at a church in Tudun Wada, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Sunday.

He revealed that he was kidnapped on April 11, 2026, shortly after traveling from Jos to Zaria, Kaduna State, in pursuit of what he believed was a legitimate welding job. The alleged kidnappers had persistently called him, offering him welding work and even providing transport fare to make the offer appear genuine.

They kept calling, asking me to come work for them. They even sent transport money, so I believed it was a real job, Azi recalled.

After arriving in Zaria, Azi contacted the supposed employers, who directed him to take a motorcycle to a nearby village. Despite growing suspicious during the journey, he ignored the warning signs as he was desperate for employment.

I started having doubts, but I told myself it could be a connection that might help me. I didn’t know they were kidnappers, he said.

Upon reaching the village, a man approached, claiming to be the person who had offered the job. Azi was then taken further on a motorcycle into a remote forest, where he noticed another man waiting, visibly armed.

“I saw a gun I’d never seen before. The man told me not to be afraid and said the other person was a hunter, but deep down, I knew something was wrong,” he recounted.

Azi was forced to kneel while the kidnappers searched him, confiscated his belongings, and gave him unfamiliar clothes and a face mask to wear. The abductors later transported him from Kaduna through Giwa Local Government Area into Zamfara State, spending nearly six hours traveling through forests and isolated routes by motorcycle.

“There was no security anywhere,” he said.

At the kidnappers’ camp, Azi’s hands and legs were tied before his family was contacted and a ransom of N30 million was demanded. “I gave them my elder brother’s number. They called him and demanded N30 million,” he recounted.

While in captivity, Azi was repeatedly tortured and questioned about his religion. Out of fear, he initially denied being a Christian, but after being severely beaten, he confessed his faith. “While they were beating me, I suddenly shouted ‘Jesus.’ That was when they discovered I was a Christian,” he said, adding that the kidnappers then nicknamed him “Pastor” throughout his ordeal.

Azi said it was constant prayers and faith in God that kept him alive. “The only thing I kept doing was praying and asking God to save me,” he explained.

Following negotiations, the kidnappers reduced their ransom demand from N30 million to N6 million. However, after the payment was made, they allegedly delayed his release and demanded an additional N4 million, subjecting him to further beatings.

With the support of relatives, friends, and sympathizers, Azi eventually regained his freedom after several days in captivity. Though traumatized, the UNIJOS graduate expressed gratitude for his survival.