A Sierra Leonean diplomat kidnapped in Nigeria spoke for the first time Monday of his abduction by unknown gunmen, saying his life was “constantly threatened” while in captivity.

Alfred Nelson-Williams, Freetown’s defence attache and deputy head of the country’s mission in Abuja, was the latest high-profile victim of a kidnapping epidemic in Nigeria’s north.

He was released on July 5 after being held for five days.

Nelson-Williams

The diplomat told journalists Monday he was stopped at a checkpoint by men armed with AK-47s and dressed in military fatigues while travelling to Kaduna, 200 km north of Nigeria’s federal capital, on June 30.

He rapidly realised the checkpoint was fake, however, after the armed men demanded a contact “to which they would relay their demands.”

He gave the name of the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to Nigeria, Haja Afsatu Kabbah, and they took him into captivity. For the next five days “my life was constantly threatened,” he said.

“I give all glory to God for my release as he was in control,” he added.

Previous reports had given July 1 as the day Nelson-Williams, former head of the west African nation’s armed forces, was seized.

The retired soldier did not specify any more details of the group responsible for his ordeal due to the ongoing Nigerian police investigation, which he said had yielded two arrests so far.

Speaking at the press conference, Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Samura Kamara said he was thankful “this was not a terrorist activity as it would have been worse.”

Kamara reiterated that no ransom was paid and said he did not expect Nelson-Williams to be withdrawn from his post following the incident.

Kidnapping for ransom has long been a problem in Nigeria’s oil-rich south, where wealthy locals and expatriate workers have been seized, only to be released after payment several days later.

But the phenomenon has now spread to the north of the country, with criminal gangs made up of suspected former cattle rustlers who have pushed into kidnapping after a military crackdown on the theft of herds.

Nelson-Williams’s abduction was the first of a Sierra Leone diplomat anywhere in the world since the country gained independence in 1961, according to foreign ministry sources in Freetown.