On the day they began the kidnapping assignment, Rufus and Zaq left the oil company rig early in the morning. The guide hired to accompany the journalists carried a gun and was physically intimidating, which was necessary given the danger of the assignment. Rufus sat next to Zaq on the boat, along with several other reporters, including two from Lagos who wore suits and soft shoes and looked unready for the terrain. They traveled through the Delta; the trip was difficult to navigate. The guide kept trying to hail the kidnappers on the radio, and it was determined that his instructions were to go in one direction for a time and then turn to a specific frequency to contact the militants. When nobody responded, they began to worry.

After some more traveling time, they came to a series of small islands; on the second island, they saw a fire. At first, they thought perhaps it was a sign of civilization, but upon further inspection, they saw that a wooden boat was on fire and appeared to have been hit directly by a rocket. They arrived on shore to find that the whole camp had been attacked, with the militants having apparently been ambushed by the military.