Abducted victims recently freed from captivity have revealed that kidnappers use poisonous snakes to terrorise them. Some of them, who recounted their ordeals in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria said that there were many snakes in the forests inhabited by the bandits. They said that the snakes often bite both the kidnappers and the victims. One of them, who craved anonymity, told NAN that kidnappers threw them into snake-infested spots.
“The kidnappers know the areas infested with snakes and would often throw the victims there. “Immediately they see snakes, the fear-stricken victims will want to run away. The sight is used to frighten people. “That is the time a victim can ask friends and family members to sell everything – house, land, cars, household items, shoes, just everything – to raise the ransom.” NAN investigation revealed that the worst snake-infested forests are in Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, and Kala-Balge, near Lake Chad, in Borno State. Other areas included Shaki in Oyo State, Borgu and Kagara in Niger, Karim Lamido in Adamawa, and Lau in Taraba.
