Released hostage Julie Mulligan embraces her husband John in the backyard of their Drayton Valley home yesterday. (Graham Long/SUN MEDIA)
DRAYTON VALLEY, Alta. - Freed hostage Julie Mulligan says the most horrifying moment of her life unfolded while being held captive by armed gunmen in Nigeria.
"I had a couple of really dark moments," Mulligan said yesterday. "There were times when I just felt incredibly alone."
The Drayton Valley mom returned home last week after spending nearly two weeks in Nigerian captivity.
She was abducted at gunpoint April 16 while returning from a Rotary club meeting in the northern city of Kaduna.
Mulligan was heading to the home of Moses Kadeer, her Nigerian host, when they found their route blocked by a parked car.
The car backed up and three men got out, one of them carrying an assault rifle. They took Kadeer from the car and threw him to the ground.
Then they turned on Mulligan.
"I screamed: 'No!' " she said. "I will never, ever get that scream out of my mind. I have never in my life been that terrified."
Mulligan, 44, looked fit and healthy yesterday.
"I was never really sick," she said. " I was told to say I was sick because the kidnappers thought it would speed up the process."
For 13 days she was kept captive, first in a building under construction, then in a small house.
She was plagued by mosquito bites - it will be a few days before she's absolutely in the clear from the threat of malaria - and slept with empty cement bags wrapped around her head and legs in an attempt to keep the insects at bay.
Mulligan attempted, with some success, to develop a bond with her captors, partly to ensure her safety and partly because she felt alone.
"I could understand why they did what they were doing. For them it was nothing personal. It was about money," she said.
"I knew I had to get them on my side. They were the ones holding the gun, so I needed them to trust me."
As time wore on, the stress of the situation began to take its toll, not only on Mulligan, but on her captors.
The kidnappers' money had run out and there had been no power and little food for some time.
"On the 29th the tension level was crazy. I was so scared," said Mulligan.
"I was afraid I was becoming a liability and they were going to shoot me."
Eventually Mulligan was removed from the house and taken on foot to a spot where she was told someone on a motorcycle was going to pick her up and take her back to Kadeer.
"They looked at me and said: 'Don't follow me,' then they just disappeared," she said. "I was scared out of my mind. I didn't know what was happening.
"Then someone came from behind me and grabbed my arm, and she said: 'You're safe, I'm a police officer.' "
It wasn't until three Canadian External Affairs officials arrived that Mulligan truly felt safe.
When returning home, she was greeted by her husband John and about a dozen friends at the airport.
She said knowing those friends were praying for her safety helped pull her through the ordeal.
"I wrote down the names of the people who I definitely knew loved me," Mulligan said.
"I was very selective because I wanted to be sure it was right. I came up with 473 names.
"Now when I see how many people were working on my release right around the world, there was a heck of a lot more than 473."
"I had a couple of really dark moments," Mulligan said yesterday. "There were times when I just felt incredibly alone."
The Drayton Valley mom returned home last week after spending nearly two weeks in Nigerian captivity.
She was abducted at gunpoint April 16 while returning from a Rotary club meeting in the northern city of Kaduna.
Mulligan was heading to the home of Moses Kadeer, her Nigerian host, when they found their route blocked by a parked car.
The car backed up and three men got out, one of them carrying an assault rifle. They took Kadeer from the car and threw him to the ground.
Then they turned on Mulligan.
"I screamed: 'No!' " she said. "I will never, ever get that scream out of my mind. I have never in my life been that terrified."
Mulligan, 44, looked fit and healthy yesterday.
"I was never really sick," she said. " I was told to say I was sick because the kidnappers thought it would speed up the process."
For 13 days she was kept captive, first in a building under construction, then in a small house.
She was plagued by mosquito bites - it will be a few days before she's absolutely in the clear from the threat of malaria - and slept with empty cement bags wrapped around her head and legs in an attempt to keep the insects at bay.
Mulligan attempted, with some success, to develop a bond with her captors, partly to ensure her safety and partly because she felt alone.
"I could understand why they did what they were doing. For them it was nothing personal. It was about money," she said.
"I knew I had to get them on my side. They were the ones holding the gun, so I needed them to trust me."
As time wore on, the stress of the situation began to take its toll, not only on Mulligan, but on her captors.
The kidnappers' money had run out and there had been no power and little food for some time.
"On the 29th the tension level was crazy. I was so scared," said Mulligan.
"I was afraid I was becoming a liability and they were going to shoot me."
Eventually Mulligan was removed from the house and taken on foot to a spot where she was told someone on a motorcycle was going to pick her up and take her back to Kadeer.
"They looked at me and said: 'Don't follow me,' then they just disappeared," she said. "I was scared out of my mind. I didn't know what was happening.
"Then someone came from behind me and grabbed my arm, and she said: 'You're safe, I'm a police officer.' "
It wasn't until three Canadian External Affairs officials arrived that Mulligan truly felt safe.
When returning home, she was greeted by her husband John and about a dozen friends at the airport.
She said knowing those friends were praying for her safety helped pull her through the ordeal.
"I wrote down the names of the people who I definitely knew loved me," Mulligan said.
"I was very selective because I wanted to be sure it was right. I came up with 473 names.
"Now when I see how many people were working on my release right around the world, there was a heck of a lot more than 473."
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