We Sent Them Money For Sickness Too: Brother Of Released Jos Student Opens Up

We Sent Them Money For Sickness Too: Brother Of Released Jos Student Opens Up.

The elder brother of Bulus John Arum, one of the Jos students recently taken by kidnappers and later freed, has given a detailed account of what his younger sibling went through before he was let go. According to Bulus, the family kept a line of communication with the captors for days, sending cash not just as ransom but also for everyday things like recharge cards and even medical treatment the kidnappers claimed they needed.

Speaking with a calm but heavy voice, Bulus explained that the trouble started quietly. The kidnappers initially asked for 6 million naira. The family thought they could manage that figure. But not long after, the captors noticed that people online were raising money for the family. That changed things.

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“They came back and told us the price had gone up to 15 million,” Bulus said.

From that point, the family had to beg and negotiate hard. After several tense exchanges, they agreed on a final payment of 10,315,000 naira. Bulus said they wired the money in bits, not all at once. Even before the final ransom was completed, the kidnappers kept asking for separate sums for recharge cards so they could make calls. At another point, they said some of them were sick and needed money for medicine. The family sent that too.

“What could we do? He is my brother. You just keep paying and hoping,” Bulus added.

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Once the full amount was paid, the kidnappers released John together with another man from Bauchi who had also been held in the same location in Zamfara State. The two were taken on motorcycles from the forested area in Zamfara all the way to Zaria. An armed kidnapper rode behind them the whole distance, making sure they did not try anything.

When they arrived in Zaria, the other man quickly got in touch with a relative who came to pick them up. They were both taken straight to a hospital for immediate care. From there, the Arum family arranged a vehicle from Jos to bring John home. He arrived around 10 pm that night, weak and in visible pain. He was rushed to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) for proper medical attention.

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Bulus said when they looked at John’s body, they found marks all over his skin from repeated flogging. Some of the wounds had started to swell. He did not go into further detail, but he said the family is just grateful that John came back alive.

He ended with a quiet remark about the situation in the country. Looking away for a moment, he said, “Only God can save us from this corn tree.”

It was not clear if he meant that as a proverb or just a raw feeling. Either way, it stuck in the air longer than anything else he said.

We Sent Them Money For Sickness Too: Brother Of Released Jos Student Opens Up.