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Kidnappers Strategically used Venomous Snakes to Instill fear and Intimidate us
Kidnappers strategically used venomous snakes to instill fear and intimidate us
NewsReport Nigeria reports that recently emancipated hostages have divulged chilling narratives regarding their torment at the hands of abductors who utilized venomous snakes during the detainees’ period of confinement.
A multitude of survivors individually communicated their distressing accounts to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN), specifically drawing attention to the extensive presence of serpents in the forests that serve as outlaws’ domiciles.
According to their testimonies, not only did they face threats from snakes, but even kidnappers were frequently exposed to potential snake bites within these wooded areas.
Information sourced from an anonymous survivor portrayed a more spine-chilling modus operandi adopted by these criminals; victims were intentionally planted in regions infested with high populations of snakes.
The testimony illustrated: “These malefactors possess deep understanding and knowledge about areas densely populated by serpents, which constitutes our common place for abandonment. Encountering or witnessing a snake catalyses monumental fear among us—the already traumatized victims.”
“These culprits harness this festering terror as an effective instrument for assertive manipulation—consequently forcing the beleaguered victim towards persuading kinsfolk and acquaintances into liquidating all valuable possessions, such as residential property and vehicles, amongst others, in order to fulfil ransom requirements.”
An exhaustive investigation led by NAN identified specific geographical locations notorious for housing substantial numbers of harmful reptiles; notable among them are Birnin Gwari located within Kaduna State and Kala-Balge adjacent Lake Chad positioned in Borno, respectively.
Other principal territories included Shaki, situated within Oyo State; Borgu and Kagara, entrenched inside Niger; Karim Lamido, found in Adamawa State; and Lau, established in Taraba Province.
Furthermore, numerous statements issued by survivors underscored alarming observations hinting at intensifying current threats linked directly to heightened temperatures driving snakes out of hibernation holes into obvious spaces whilst endeavoring to respite from thermal exhaustion alongside scourging food sources.
Some of the victims told NAN that the situation is worse now with the current heat as snakes leave their holes in search of fresh air and food.
Some of the victims told NAN that the situation is worse now with the current heat as snakes leave their holes in search of fresh air and food.
“The nights are often more traumatising. You are left outside in the dark, and a reptile may just creep through your legs.
“While I was in captivity, snakes bit some victims. The kidnappers were not spared, as some of them also got bitten,” a victim, who was taken to a thick forest in Kagara, in Niger, told NAN.
According to him, in Kagara forest, the snakes are so common that the locals refer to them as “kadangarun Kagara (Kagara lizards).”
Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, Chairman, Echitap Study Group, the outfit in charge of Echitap Anti-Snake Venom (ASV), who spoke on the development, confirmed that banditry was associated with areas prone to snake bites.
Nasidi, whose group collaborates with Micropharm UK Ltd. and Instituto Clodomiro Picardo (ICP), Costa Rica, to bring the drugs to Nigeria, decried the rising cases of snake bites in Nigeria.
“Unfortunately for us, the cost of snake bite treatment has gone well beyond the reach of the poor,” he said.
While confirming that some abductees indeed returned with snakebite wounds, he said that the cost of treatment could only be affordable if the ASV drugs were produced locally.
“The ASV manufacturers are ready to collaborate with us to produce the ASV in Nigeria.
“It is only when we produce ASV locally in Nigeria that we can make it available at a reduced cost.
“The rise in the value of the dollar has made the cost of foreign production so high that the poor man who, in most cases, is the victim of snake bites, cannot afford it.
“In the past, villagers used to contribute money to purchase ASV, that is no longer possible.
“An ample of the Echitap G ASV, which takes care of venoms from a carpet viper, costs 59 Pounds factory price. 97 per cent of poisonous snake bite cases in Nigeria are from carpet vipers.
“For Echitap plus ICP ASV, which treats venom from puff adder, carpet viper, and black cobra, an ample is 24 dollars factory price.
“If you add the cost of transportation from the two countries—the UK and Costa Rica—plus the charges for clearance at the ports, the price becomes a different thing.”
He identified the most poisonous snakes in Nigeria as the carpet viper, puff adder, and black cobra.
“But we even have an equally dangerous snake—the Black Mamba—in Abuja. So, we also need an ASV for it,” he said.
According to him, in the past, Nigerians bitten by snakes had 40 percent chances of survival.
“But if the black mamba is added, the chances shrink to 10 percent. It means we desperately need to produce ASV locally,” he said.
On kidnappers deliberately exposing their victims to snakes, he pointed out that snakes do not know the difference between a kidnapper and his victim.
He lamented the prevalence of snake bites among poor Nigerians who were already hungry.
“If a snake bites a hungry person, his case is only pathetic, as he is already economically traumatised without much hope.”
He particularly condemned the inhuman behaviour of exposing abductees to snake bites and regretted the “zero” premium placed on human life.
“From the accounts of victims, kidnapped people could see a snake coming toward them and were not allowed to run. Nothing is more traumatising.”
Nasidi said that his group had submitted a proposal to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the local production of ASV.
“The proposal has been approved, and we are waiting for the money to start up.
“The foreign manufacturers are ready to offer the technology. So, we are hopeful that we will soon start local production of ASV,” he said.
Nasidi advised Nigerians to be careful while moving at night, noting that snakes were moving closer to human habitats.
“We must all be very watchful and observant. Treating snake bites is very expensive. So, prevention is better than any form of cure,” he said. (NAN)
