Surviving the Nightmare: Julius Chinonso Escape from Bandits in Kaduna State

By Our Correspondent

For Julius Chinonso, a 26-year-old trader from Enugu State, life once revolved around family, faith, and a modestbusiness in Makera, Kaduna State. But an ordinary business trip in October 2024 turned into a harrowing battle for survival when he fell into the hands of armed bandits. 

“I had just completed some transactions and was heading to Abuja,” Julius recalled in an interview. “Not long into the journey, our vehicle was stopped by armed men.They ordered everyone out and forced us into the bush. From that moment, everything changed.” 

According to him, the victims were held hostage for several days, made to trek long distances without food or water, and confined in a small room under constant watch. “We didn’t know where we were,” he said. “We just prayed and hoped to stay alive.” 

The ordeal took an even darker turn when the captors began to separate the hostages based on religion. Julius, an Igbo Christian, said he was singled out and threatened with death. 

“They told me they would burn me alive because of my faith,” he recounted quietly. “They took us to an abandoned village and locked us inside a hut. Then they set it on fire. The heat and smoke were unbearable. I prayed to God and pushed against the wall until I found a weak spot. 

That’s how I broke through and escaped.” His escape through the forest was nothing short of miraculous. “They chased me, but somehow I managed to get away,” he said.

“Later, I met some villagers who helped me find my way to safety.” Julius eventually reunited with his family in Abuja, where he received medical treatment and began the slow process of recovery from the physical and emotional trauma. 

Today, he speaks out not from anger, but from a desire to raise awareness about the worsening insecurity in Nigeria’s northern region. “Many people are still going through the same thing —kidnappings, attacks, fear,” he said. 

“I want the government to do more to protect lives and make ourcommunities safe again.” For Julius, survival came through faith and determination. But for countless others stilltrapped in the cycle of violence, time may be running out. 

His story is a stark reminder that behind every statisticon banditry in Nigeria lies a human face — someone’s son, brother, or friend — simply struggling to liveanother da