Kidnap victims narrate ordeal, say Nigeria failed them
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Idowu Sanusi and his friend, Yusuf Olatunji, set out on a Sunday evening before their car broke down along Itori, Ewekoro area of Ogun State. While making effort to tow the car some men in ‘military’ uniform appeared.
The stranded friends heaved a sigh of relief, thinking assistance had come. Sadly, they landed in the hands of kidnappers, who took them away.
Narrating his ordeal while in the den of their abductors yesterday, Sanusi said he and his friends Olatunji and Mustapha Okanlawon were trying to tow the vehicle, which was partially blocking the road to avoid an accident when the incident happened.
He said: “We had concluded arrangement with the people that will tow the vehicle when five guys, who were speaking fulfulde and in military uniform came out with sophisticated weapons.
“In fact, I thought they were officers of Operation MESA, a joint Internal Security Operational platform made up of the Army, the Navy and the Air force, until they started collecting our phones, behaving roughly.”
According to him, his friend, Mustapha escaped immediately after he sighted them approaching them, but Idowu’s attempts to escape failed as he was brought down forcefully.
Sanusi said one of them quietly informed him that they were kidnappers and he would not hesitate to kill him if he tried to escape again.
“The man corked his gun and shouted, ‘you won’t kill yourself, you no dey hear the news, na we kill one fuel station manager in Ewekoro, a pastor died in our hands, wallahi I go delete you’.
“I had to cooperate as they took Yusuff and me into the bush at about 8:45 p.m. As we walked for a few minutes, their leader spoke in Yoruba on phone, and told someone that they were around a church.
“A vehicle which looks like a Micra came a few minutes after the call and we entered the vehicle that drove us for like 20 minutes with clothes tied around their eyes.
“When the car stopped, we trekked further into the bush till about 4:00 a.m. the next day. They took drugs and rested intermittently along the railway tracks, until we got to a deep bush.
“They started making calls and their dressing, and language confirmed they were Fulani men, but they worked with some Yoruba people. We were told to sit down and rest, but I could not sleep.
“While we got talking, their leader got annoyed when my friend told them that they are brothers as he is a Muslim like them. The leader told him that he would shoot him if he repeated that.
“He said that they never introduced themselves to him as Muslims. He said that business and religion do not mix. We had to beg him. While in the bush a motorcycle rider brought food, drinks and drugs to the place that looked like an abandoned farm, as the whole place was deserted.
“They asked us to eat, we said no, but requested for water and they gave us. We were asked to call three lines each and request N50 million each totaling N100 million within 24 hours of our lives will be terminated.
“They later agreed to collect N10 million after begging and appeals. They gave their rules saying if we like we can inform the police or vigilante.”
They asked us if we have seen their type of guns before, boasting that no police can face them.”
Sanusi and Yusuff were freed on Monday evening after spending 24 hours in the kidnappers’ den. They said they reported the case at Itori Police station, but nothing came out of it.
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