‘They Assigned One Girl to 3 or 4 Men Daily’: Survivor Recounts 20 Days of Rape, Torture in Bandits’ Den

A young woman (name withheld) has given a harrowing first-hand account of the systematic rape, beatings, and degrading treatment she endured during 20 days in a bandits’ camp in northern Nigeria, revealing that sexual violence against female captives was routine and unrelenting throughout her captivity. Speaking in Hausa during an interview with MAIBIREDI TV, the survivor said she and fellow captives were shackled with iron rods upon arrival and held in a forest hut, where they were flogged, forced to lie on bare ground, made to sit immobile for hours, and subjected to repeated interrogations. “They beat us. It wasn’t just the beatings; they subjected us to various forms of humiliation,” she said. She confirmed that sexual assault of women in the camp was not an isolated occurrence but a continuous pattern. “Wallahi, yes, absolutely,” she said when asked directly. “Ever since we arrived, it was a continuous thing, not just once.” The survivor said she was the only group held in that section of the camp during her captivity. Her freedom came only after a ransom payment. The bandits initially demanded N10 million. “I don’t know if the amount was later negotiated down, but the money was ultimately delivered,” she said. “Everything they do to a person there makes your heart ache whenever you recall it,” she added.

This testimony aligns with documented reports indicating that rape and sexual assault are routinely used as weapons to terrorise, control, and punish rural communities across Nigeria’s North-West and North-Central zones. Armed bandits employ sexual violence strategically to inflict widespread trauma and fear, forcing communities into submission and preventing resistance, often assaulting women in front of their families to cause maximum humiliation and psychological devastation. The states most heavily affected by this crisis include Zamfara, considered the epicentre of banditry, as well as Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Plateau, Kogi, and Kwara. In some instances, bandits have been reported to abduct women and girls specifically for sexual gratification rather than for ransom. One survivor from an IDP camp in Niger State recounted being told by her abductors that they had “come for the wives,” and that the abduction was only for sexual gratification, with all 10 women kidnapped during that attack being subjected to rape.

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In a separate testimony, another survivor described being held in a bandits’ camp where she and other women were subjected to daily sexual assault and inhumane treatment, saying: “Bandits usually feed us to be strong. Then they take turns having sex with us everyday. Sometimes they can assign one girl to be pleasing 3 or 4 men daily.” Other survivors of mass abductions have corroborated the brutally inhumane conditions, describing how captives are held in chains, denied adequate food, and exposed to the elements. One rescued victim who was held for 32 days recounted that captives “used to chain us in twos,” with movement severely restricted even for basic needs. Another survivor of a mass abduction in Kaduna State reported that the abductees were fed only four times throughout three weeks of captivity and were forced to sleep in the open forest, enduring mosquito bites and constant threats.

The violence in these camps extends beyond physical and sexual abuse. Research and survivor testimonies indicate that kidnapping victims face not only rape but also forced marriage, slavery-like conditions, and psychological torture. According to a study on rural banditry in Nigeria, women are more likely to be abducted and forced into marriages with bandits instead of being killed, while men are more frequently killed during attacks. For women and girls, the trauma of captivity is compounded by the potential for long-term social stigmatisation, particularly for those who return with children or pregnancies resulting from rape. Some are also forced into marriage or slavery, with survivors recounting that while in captivity for over a year, some captives were forced to “do house chores for their wives as slaves, while others were forcefully married to them.” The account offers a rare first-hand window into the brutal conditions inside kidnappers’ enclaves in northern Nigeria, where victims face systematic physical and sexual violence during prolonged captivity for ransom.

‘They Assigned One Girl to 3 or 4 Men Daily’: Survivor Recounts 20 Days of Rape, Torture in Bandits’ Den

BREAKING: UK Court Clears Diezani Alison-Madueke of All Bribery Charges

Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been cleared of all six bribery-related charges by a UK court after a lengthy trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

A jury on Wednesday returned a not guilty verdict after 12 weeks of hearings and about 46 hours of deliberation, acquitting the former minister of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Alison-Madueke, who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, consistently denied all allegations throughout the proceedings.

Allegations Against Diezani

Prosecutors had accused the former minister of receiving illicit benefits from oil and gas industry figures in exchange for facilitating favourable contract decisions in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector during her tenure as petroleum minister.

They alleged that she lived an extravagant lifestyle in London and benefitted from cash gifts, luxury shopping, private jet travel, chauffeur-driven vehicles, and high-end property improvements.

The prosecution told the court that the alleged benefits included about £100,000 in cash, more than £2 million spent at Harrods, around £4.6 million in property refurbishments, and payments covering household staff for luxury residences in London and Buckinghamshire.

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Defence Argument

Diezani, however, denied all wrongdoing, telling the court that she never requested, solicited, or received any bribes.

Her legal team argued that the allegations were based on misinterpretations of financial transactions and that the case was influenced by political motivations. They maintained that no direct evidence linked her to any bribery agreement.

Court Ruling

The case was presided over by Justice Justine Thornton and focused on alleged offences said to have occurred between 2011 and 2015, during her time as Nigeria’s petroleum minister.

If convicted, Alison-Madueke faced up to 10 years in prison under the UK Bribery Act, alongside unlimited financial penalties.

She was tried alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother Doye Agama, who also faced related bribery and conspiracy charges. Both co-defendants denied the allegations and were equally acquitted.

Significance of the Verdict

The ruling marks the end of a high-profile international corruption trial that had drawn significant attention across Nigeria and the United Kingdom due to its link to alleged misconduct in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

Legal observers say the acquittal may influence related asset recovery and corruption proceedings in other jurisdictions, although no further legal action has been confirmed.

Diezani has faced multiple corruption allegations since leaving office in 2015 but has consistently maintained her innocence.

BREAKING: UK Court Clears Diezani Alison-Madueke of All Bribery Charges

Oshiomhole Clarifies Remarks on Natasha Suspension, Denies Forgery Allegation

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has denied allegations that he accused members of the Senate of forging signatures during the process that led to the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisting that his remarks on the matter were misrepresented.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District said comments he made during an appearance on AIT’s Politics Today were wrongly interpreted, creating the false impression that he questioned the authenticity of signatures attached to a Senate committee report.

According to Oshiomhole, he never alleged that any senator’s signature was forged during the proceedings that culminated in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.

“The insinuation that I said signatures of senators were forged is a complete misrepresentation of what I actually said,” the former Edo State governor stated.

The senator emphasized that he fully agreed with Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu that no senator’s signature was forged in the process leading to the suspension of the Kogi Central lawmaker.

Oshiomhole explained that no senator had approached him with complaints about forged signatures. Rather, the only point he raised during the television interview was a claim allegedly made by a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.

According to him, the committee member had suggested that signatures from an attendance register may have been attached to the committee’s final report, a claim that differs from allegations of outright forgery.

“The only comment I made is that one senator, who is a member of the committee, claimed that the signatures of attendance of some senators were attached to the final report,” Oshiomhole said.

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“Any suggestion to the effect that I alleged that any senator’s signature was forged is completely untrue and should be disregarded.”

The controversy emerged after reports circulated claiming that Oshiomhole had questioned the authenticity of signatures contained in the committee report that recommended Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension. The reports triggered reactions within the Senate and fueled public debate over the circumstances surrounding the disciplinary action.

Oshiomhole further clarified that the issue arose during a discussion on claims by the programme’s interviewer that Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele had described the Natasha suspension controversy as “the lowest point of the three years of the 10th Senate.”

Responding to that assertion during the interview, Oshiomhole said that if Bamidele indeed made such a statement, it deserved serious consideration because the Senate Leader was not known for making frivolous remarks.

The senator, however, maintained that the matter had since been resolved and that the Senate had moved on from the controversy.

The suspension of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan remains one of the most talked-about issues in the 10th Senate. The Kogi Central senator was suspended following recommendations by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions after a dispute involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The development sparked widespread reactions from political stakeholders, legal experts and civil society groups, with debates continuing over the legality and implications of the suspension.

Seeking to put the matter to rest, Oshiomhole reiterated that no senator informed him that any signature had been forged and expressed regret over any misunderstanding that may have arisen from his comments.

“Finally, I regret if my comments may have caused embarrassment to any senator or the 10th Senate as an institution,” he said.

His clarification is expected to ease tensions generated by the controversy and reinforce the Senate leadership’s position that due process was followed in handling the suspension case.

Oshiomhole Clarifies Remarks on Natasha Suspension, Denies Forgery Allegation