According to a video from 00:02:32 posted on Arise News on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, kidnap victim Sarah Chinedu described the moment armed men posing as customers seized her from her own shop in Bayelsa State.
She said the attackers approached under the guise of wanting to make a purchase before revealing weapons and forcing her away.
Sarah Chinedu, the wife of a pastor, was held for over three weeks before she was rescued by the Bayelsa Police Command’s violent crime response unit during a night operation near Obunbiri in the Southern Ijaw Council Area.
Her abduction sparked a lengthy search effort that culminated in a 72-hour rescue mission described by the state’s Commissioner of Police as one of the command’s most demanding operations.
Speaking to journalists after her rescue, Sarah Chinedu recounted how the ordinary appearance of the men disguised their intentions until it was too late for her to react.
She said she was quickly moved away from her shop and separated from those around her before being taken deeper into the surrounding area.
In her words, Sarah Chinedu said, “They said they wanted to buy something to my shop.
“Then as I enter inside, that is only thing they bring out gun. From gun I leave my daughter and one woman that was with me and carry me,” she said.
She went on to describe being moved through the bush and by boat to a location she could not identify, where she was held while her captors demanded a large ransom from her husband.
Her ordeal ended when police stormed the forest camp, arresting a suspect and freeing her after weeks of captivity.