A Bermudian missionary yesterday relived his brush with death at the hands of knife-wielding Nigerian thugs.

Church worker Eddie Richardson and three other Bermudians, including Magistrate Arthur Hodgson, MP Ottiwell Simmons and his brother Clayton, were jumped by six robbers after their car got a puncture in Lagos, Nigeria.

Mr. Richardson, who suffered multiple stab wounds, said: "I'm really lucky to be alive -- it was horrible, really horrible.

Bermudian `lucky to be alive' "I lost quite a lot of blood and the scare in itself was bad. It was touch and go for a while.

"I got one wound in the chest -- the doctor in Lagos said if the knife hadn't hit the chest bone, it's anyone's guess what might have happened.'' Mr. Richardson, 52, of Paget, was stabbed six times after he put up a struggle, one stab wound going right through his hand.

He also suffered a deep wound to his tongue which needed several stitches to repair.

He said: "It was extremely painful -- I couldn't speak because my mouth was so swollen. I don't know if it was a knife or it happened when one of them had his hands round my throat.'' The horror attack happened as the four were returning from a visit to friends in Lagos last Thursday night.

It was the final night of a three-week missionary trip by Brethren Assembly church worker Mr. Richardson to Senegal and Nigeria.

The Nigerian driver was stabbed in the head and chest and the other three Bermudians were stripped of their watches and rings.

He said: "I had a video bag, but it had money and credit cards in it. Looking at it now, it was a silly thing to do, but I wasn't letting go.'' He added: "I don't have a clue where they came from. There were a lot of flyovers and they must have been hiding.

"We were told later that that stretch of road is very dangerous -- they put nails in the road and them jump people when they're stopped.

"That might be true because we were attacked as soon as the puncture was fixed and we were getting back into the car.'' Mr. Richardson said he was hospitalised on his return to Bermuda for treatment for a blood clot in his leg -- brought on, he thinks, by a combination of the attack and a long flight home.

But he said: "I'm just thankful to the Lord that it wasn't a lot worse.'' Mr. Richardson has visited other African countries, but it was his first trip to strife-torn Nigeria.