A15-year-old Treasure Ayuba who escaped from his kidnappers’ den after over two years in captivity has been granted a six-year scholarship by the Restoration Bible Church in Kaduna.
Treasure was among about 121 students of the Baptist Academy, Kaduna, who were kidnapped on July 15, 2021, from the school in Kujama, on the outskirts of Kaduna.
After payment of a huge ransom, about 120 of the students were released by their abductors, while holding back Treasure who was said to be the youngest of all the students kidnapped.
He was brought to the Restoration Bible Church annual convention by the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna, Rev Joseph Hayab.
The General Overseer of the Church, Rev. Tunde Bolata, who announced the scholarship for Treasure at the service to round off the Church convention, said he was free to start attending the Day Star Christian Academy owned by the Church with all expenses paid from Monday, November 6.
The CAN chairman told The Nation: “This is a miracle. I just brought him here for the Pastor to pray for him. This can only be a miracle and that is what true Christianity is all about.”
Hayab said Treasure informed him that the kidnappers gave him preferential treatment and often sent him on errands.
He said: “Treasure told me that whenever they are going for their operation, they leave him behind and when they come back, they often give him some money.
“He noticed that there are territories that they can go to. When it was time for him to leave, he headed towards that part. He just woke up one morning and decided to take a walk. He walked until he got to a village.
“He was careful not to tell anybody who he is. In the village, he asked how he could get a vehicle to Kaduna and he found one, entered the vehicle, paid N6, 000 and drove for seven hours before they got to Kawo (Kaduna metropolis).
“From there, he saw a vehicle going to Sabo and he entered the vehicle and immediately he got to Sabo, he knew how to get to his House. The family were sitting down when he walked in.”