‘My experience in the hands of kidnappers’

FORMER Chairman of Ganjuwa Local Council and elected member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Yusuf Inuwa Dadiye, has described his release from his kidnappers as a miracle from God through the hands of one of the kidnappers who he once helped.

Dadiye said that he was in the bush for four days fasting and praying to God for his release. “I refused to eat food or drink the juice that was brought to me by the kidnappers. I only drank water and ate bread, I was afraid that the foods were poison. This same guy that said I once helped him collected money from me for my bread and water, so I was little bit relaxed with his treatment.”

Briefing The Guardian exclusively in Bauchi yesterday, Dadiye recalled that he was kidnapped at gun-point in the night when he was traveling from Bauchi to his home-town, Ganjuwa.

He said: “In my own case nobody collected money from me, nobody beat me but I was caged for four days living on water and bread while on fasting and prayer. I believe that whatever you are doing, you should remember God is with you. My family was praying for me, the entire people of my local council were also praying for me including friends and well- wishers and I was safely released.”

According to him, his kidnappers changed their mission concerning his kidnap. This led to a serious argument and later the killing of the gang leader of the group. “They did not ask me many questions, but there was a conflict among them regarding my kidnap and one of them shot the gang leader to death.

He explained that those behind his kidnap did so for three reasons, to destroy his political career, cripple his business and destroy his life, adding that, “man proposes but God disposes.”

Explaining how he survived his ordeal, the elected House member, who will now represent Ganjuwa West in the Bauchi State House of Assembly, said that it was the same man who said that he had once helped him that took him on motorbike to Toro-Jos Road in Bauchi, after the death of their boss.

Dadiye said that Nigeria needs a lot of investment in the area of agriculture to reduce over dependence on oil. “We need to also harness the abundant natural resources of each state, if we want to move forward as a nation, he said.”
“The people sould pray for peace and unity for the incoming government to perform better,” he added.