We received the b£ating of our lives

A 25-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Patience Andrew, who was kidnapped alongside her colleagues in Ondo state has recounted their ordeals at the hands of the kidnappers.

Andrew and four other Corps members, Adewole Paul Oluwaseun, Oluwadara Feranmi, Oribamise Taiwo, and Ajayi Lekan, were released on Monday, after payment of N5m ransom.

Speaking on behalf of four other victims, Andrew said the kidnappers numbering five stopped the driver of the vehicle they were travelling with, and shot the driver and one of the passengers in the vehicle, ordering them out of the vehicle and marching them into the forest. 

According to Andrew, they trekked for several hours in the forest before the kidnappers contacted their boss who demanded for sum of N30m as ransom before they reduced it to N3m.

“For the number of days we spent there, we were drinking garri and also received the beating of our lives while we usually walk all through the day,” Andrew narrated.

“On the fateful day, we boarded a bus from Abia to Onitsha, our driver was not fast enough but one of the park drivers took us to where we boarded another bus going to Akure

“We got there around 2 pm but the driver did not take off immediately, so we left Onitsha park around 5 pm with nine passengers in a Siena bus. We got to Ondo around 10 pm when the incident happene

“The kidnappers stopped us, flashing searchlight on the driver and when driver stopped and said: “Oga I no see you”, they shot him twice, killing the driver and a woman sitting next to him while one other person was butchered while trying to escape.

“Then they brought us out of the vehicle and marched us inside into the bush, we trekked from 10 pm till around 7 am of the following day in the bush.

“The kidnappers were five in number with their age range between 25 and 30 years. They were armed and speaking Hausa/Fulani language with one interpreter as others could not speak or understand English.

“They tortured us and we were only given garri and water. At first they ask for N30m per one person but as the negotiation was going on, they agreed to N3m per victim but at the end of the day, they settled with N1m

She stated further; “We slept inside the bush throughout the day, we heard the bark of a dog and sound of cow in the bush and we passed through farmland but we didn’t meet anybody on the road 

“We were released after our families brought the ransom. They paid N5m as ransom. The kidnappers demanded pack of yoghurt, loaves of bread, one carton of milk, one pack of malt, five bottles of energy drink, one pack of cigarettes, and 10 packs of rice and chicken but not cow meat.

“They released us to our family and reported at the Owo Area command and wrote statement before we were taken to the Police Clinic where we were treated.” 

One of the family members who took the ransom to the kidnapper, Olamide, said “After we agreed on N5m, they sent a location to me and told me to be there before 10 am.

“We took the cash to Owo and they told us to proceed to another location where we waited till 11 am and directed us to another location along Achievers University.

“But they later called and told me to take two bike to carry me and some other stuff they demanded on another bike while I should be on the bike with the ransom.

“They told us to go to Achiever University road at Ago Alhaji, and then warned us that “if you bring wahala, wahala plenty”.  So when we got to Ago Panu, we called them, and a young guy came to meet us with gun and told us where to pass.

“We got into the bush and I showed them the bag where the cash was and they carried it and they asked to to move and not quite long we stopped and they called the victims.” 

The spokesperson of the State Police Command, Funmilayo Odunlami, in a statement, said the victims were abandoned before the police picked them up and took them to the Police Medical Services Owo briefly before reuniting them with their families.

“The command this day on the 22nd of July has found victims of the Ose/Ifon area kidnap which occurred on 18th July, 2024. The victims were abandoned by their assailants after the police mounted pressure on the kidnappers,” she said.

“Policemen drawn from the tactical squad led by the Area Commander of Owo, ACP Olufemi Awoyale continuous combing of the Bush with sustained technical support frustrated the assailants and were forced to abandon the victims at Oyinbo/ Sanusi Camp.”