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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Women and girls abducted from communities in Kajuru Local Government, Kaduna State have recounted harrowing experiences of sexual violence while in bandits’ captivity, revealing that rape has increasingly become a weapon of coercion and intimidation against victims.
The survivors, aged between 16 and about 50, spoke in confidence about the abuse they endured during periods of captivity lasting between one and six months after being kidnapped from their communities.
They said many victims continue to suffer in silence even after regaining freedom because of the fear of stigma, discrimination and rejection within their communities.
According to the survivors, sexual violence was frequently used by the kidnappers to compel women to comply with their demands, particularly when their husbands or other family members were also being held captive.
Some of the women said they were separated from their husbands after being taken to different camps, with men and women kept in separate locations.
One survivor recalled that women were often threatened with the death of their husbands if they refused the sexual demands of the bandits. In some cases, however, the women later discovered that their husbands had already been killed.
The survivors also disclosed that the abuse occurred alongside ransom negotiations, with families paying between N1 million and N5 million, in addition to motorcycles in some cases, to secure the release of their loved ones.
They noted that while many victims regained freedom after ransom payments, others were released without any payment.
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Two survivors, both aged 16, narrated how they were abducted from their village and taken to a bandit camp where they were sexually assaulted for two days before being released without ransom.
According to the victims, some of the perpetrators were young men, with a number of the alleged attackers said to be as young as 17 years old.
The testimonies highlight a disturbing dimension of banditry in rural communities, where sexual violence is allegedly deployed not only to abuse victims but also as a tool of intimidation, punishment and coercion during captivity.
Some women reportedly returned home pregnant after being sexually assaulted, with survivors stating that their attackers took no measures to prevent pregnancy.
Many, they said, continue to carry the emotional and psychological trauma in silence, fearing shame, rejection and stigmatisation if their experiences become public.
The accounts have renewed concerns over the need for stronger protection for women and girls in communities affected by bandit attacks, as well as improved access to medical care, psychosocial support, legal assistance and other survivor-centred services.
Beyond military and security operations against kidnapping and banditry, the survivors stressed that tackling sexual violence must form part of a broader response to insecurity in affected communities.
They maintained that creating safe channels for reporting sexual violence, providing comprehensive support services and enabling survivors to rebuild their lives without fear of blame or discrimination remain essential to addressing one of the often-hidden consequences of prolonged captivity.
