Ngozi Stephen, one of the 16 victims rescued by security operatives after they were abducted along a highway in Kogi State, has revealed how her ability to speak and understand Hausa made her an interpreter between the kidnappers and other victims during their captivity.
Speaking in an interview with TVC News Monitored by The News Chronicle on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Stephen said the abductors relied on her Hausa language skills to communicate with the other victims.
She explained that whenever the kidnappers issued instructions or made demands in Hausa, she was forced to translate their messages to the other victims and relay their responses back to the abductors.
“Because of my knowledge of Hausa, I was actually the interpreter. They turned me to their interpreter. If they say what they want to say in Hausa, I will interpret it to my own people and give them feedback in Hausa,” she said.
Stephen’s account sheds light on the challenges faced by the victims during their captivity and how her language skills unexpectedly placed her in the role of an intermediary between the abductors and the group.
She said she had no choice but to perform the role as the kidnappers depended on her to facilitate communication with the other victims.
