President of the Afenifere National Youth Council, Prince Eniola Ojajuni, shares with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE his experience in the hands of kidnappers who held him captive for 12 days

A group of gunmen recently kidnapped you. Where was your destination before the incident occurred?

My destination was Abuja, and I was supposed to travel by air. Unfortunately, one of the telecommunication networks and my bank had network issues so that I couldn?t make any online payments for my flight. This happened on the 16th and 17th of February. I decided to travel by road instead.

However, on my way to Abuja, when we reached Akoko in Ondo State, after leaving a checkpoint located between Kogi and Ondo states, we were ambushed by a group of gunmen, who were Fulani.

Where did the hoodlums emerge from?

They came out of the bush. There were about 10 of them, all fully armed with AK-47 rifles. Nine of them wore military uniforms, and they were all masked. One of them, who acted as their commander, was the one negotiating with my family.

How many days did you spend in the kidnappers? den?

I spent 12 days in captivity. There were nine victims in total: four, including me, were seized from the commercial bus that was taking me to Abuja, while five others were abducted from another vehicle. According to the information available, the driver of another vehicle sustained injuries, and some people were killed in that vehicle.

The kidnappers told us it was just a coincidence that we were kidnapped because they were only targeting a popular transporter bus.

Did they explain why they were targeting the company?s buses?

They didn?t tell us, and we didn?t dare to ask them, given the situation we found ourselves in. We were already overwhelmed by fear and anxiety.

What did the kidnappers say when they accosted the vehicle you were travelling in?

They said, ?Move, move!? and ordered us out of the vehicle. When they emerged from the bush, they started shooting sporadically at our vehicle. They shot about 19 bullets at the vehicle. That?s how some of the bullets hit my buttocks.

What happened afterwards?

After we were ordered out of the vehicle, we were marched into the bush. Some of the kidnappers immediately realised that I had sustained gunshot injuries and suggested I should be allowed to go. But one of them refused, saying they had checked my phone and seen my details, concluding that I was a ?big man.?

But I insisted I wasn?t a big man. They checked my account and saw that I only had N12,000 in it. They asked me if I wanted to continue the journey into the inner part of the bush or be killed. I told them I was ready to continue the journey. That was how we started a long trek for hours, without food or water.

What went through your mind when you realised you had been shot?

I began to think about my children and my wife. Before the kidnappers began to shoot at our bus, the driver should have escaped with the vehicle, but he wasn?t quick enough. He stopped and cursed the people shooting without realising they were kidnappers.

When I saw them from afar, I realised they were kidnappers, even though they wore military uniforms. It wasn?t long before I noticed I had sustained bullet wounds, so I told the driver about it. I asked him to make a U-turn, but he said he couldn?t, as one of the tyres of the vehicle had already been shot.

How did you know you had been shot?

I felt cold in my body, and when I touched my buttocks, I noticed there was blood. As we walked into the bush, the kidnappers kept shouting at us to move. That was when it dawned on me that I had been abducted. That day felt like a black Monday for me. I had heard stories about kidnappings but never imagined I would be kidnapped in Ondo State, my own state. It happened just two minutes? drive from a Nigerian military checkpoint and Amotekun spot.

There was a video in which one of your abductors pointed a gun at you while you were begging Nigerians for help. How did you manage to avoid being shot at that point?

I thought they were going to shoot me at that moment. One of them, their leader, told me that the ransom they were demanding for my release was N100m. They gave me the nickname ?Injury? because I was already an injured captive.

Before then, I had negotiated N3m with them, but they disagreed, insisting it must be N100m. I was then forced to record a video, asking Nigerians to help me raise the ransom so I could be released. I had to do it because I didn?t want to die. One of them told his colleagues not to kill me when they threatened to do so. When one of them cocked his gun and aimed it at me, I lost all hope, but thankfully, he didn?t shoot.

What happened later?

I am grateful to my wife, who spoke to Nigerians about my situation, and they came to my rescue. My brother and some pastors from the Redeemed Christian Church of God also tried to help. Everybody rallied around to see how they could save my life.

What about the other victims in the kidnappers? den with you?

Each of them contacted their family members and friends to pay the ransom. The total amount paid for our release was around N100m.

How were the kidnappers able to receive such a large sum in cash without being detected?

Kidnapping is a well-organised crime, and they collected some of the ransoms very close to the checkpoint. The first ransom was paid near Kabba Prison, at the back of Kabba. They instructed the family of the victim to stop at the checkpoint and to buy food from a woman selling near Kabba. After passing the woman, they were to drive for another five minutes to the checkpoint. In fact, the kidnappers always collected their money behind that checkpoint.

The second ransom was paid in Ikare. This was for the family of another victim from Ibadan. The family arrived, spent two days, and then dropped the money in Ikare.

For my ransom, my wife was supposed to take it to Ikare, but there was a serious tracking of my phone. When the kidnappers realised that a lot of attention was being focused on Ikare, they told me that we were going to move, and that was when they prepared some herbs for me.

What were the herbs for?

The herbs were for my bullet wounds. I drank some of the herbs and applied some to the area of my wound. After 10 minutes, I fell asleep for about an hour. I didn?t know we were going for a long journey. We started our trek through the bush at around 4:45 pm and arrived at our destination, Ibilo, at about 2.30am. We then rested.

I didn?t realise we were in Ibilo, Edo State, until the kidnappers asked me to contact my wife. She was in Akure with my younger brother. They told her to park when she reached Ibilo, near the checkpoint.

That was when I started wondering why they always conducted their transactions so close to military checkpoints. I began to suspect that some security operatives might have been compromised.

Did the kidnappers reveal anything else to you?

They told me they were going to attack Ondo State?hasn?t that started happening now? Unfortunately, our security operatives have been compromised. Those military checkpoints have failed to protect us.

One of the victims, who identified himself as Dogo, was the last person freed alongside me. His ransom was paid through my wife?s account because his family was in faraway Jos.

How much did Dogo?s family pay?

His family paid N6.5m.

How much did your family and friends pay?

We paid N17m.

You spent 12 days in the kidnappers? den. How were you surviving during that time?

We weren?t given food; we were just walking. Whenever we found water, perhaps once every two days, we drank. We were also subjected to severe beatings every day. There was one day when my wife gave them incorrect information, and I was tortured for eight hours.

What was the incorrect information?

My wife gave them information that initially made them happy, but they later discovered it was inaccurate. The information was provided to prevent them from killing me. It was a hellish experience. They started the torture with canes at around 9am and stopped at about 4pm. Even my friend, Asiwaju, pleaded with them and promised that the ransom would be raised. Thank God, all of that is now in the past.

At what point were you allowed to go?

It was tough for me right until the last day. I kept praying and quoting scriptures, asking God why He allowed this to happen to me. They increased the torture, claiming I was a public figure.

We trekked through the bush from Kabba in Kogi State to Ibilo in Edo State. When we arrived, we encountered many hunters and Fulani herdsmen, who worked together with them. Ibilo is said to be the epicentre of kidnapping by Fulani herdsmen.

When my wife and brother were bringing the ransom, there were about eight motorcycles in the bush, seemingly monitoring to ensure they didn?t come with police.

Who were the people riding the motorcycles in the bush?

They were informants working for the kidnappers. When my wife and brother entered the bush at the back of the military checkpoint, those on motorcycles followed them.

While I was being held captive, if the kidnappers had sensed any security breach, they could have killed me and still collected the ransom. But when they saw my pregnant wife and younger brother, they said, ?Injury, congratulations, you are going home.?

What other reasons did the kidnappers have for congratulating you?

They noticed that my wife had brought everything they demanded, including 20 plates of fufu and money. Everything was intact. She also bought them sachets of alchoholic drinks.

They insisted she taste the food to ensure it was not poisoned. They then called one of the men holding me captive and told him to let me go. When I left the bush, I was so weak that I could hardly walk. I found cassava on our way out, and I ate it to regain some strength.

Did you eventually see your wife?

Yes, I did, and I started crying. I was so exhausted. Even now, I am not mentally strong. Unfortunately, any human being has to endure such a horrible experience.

Before you travelled, did you have any premonitions of being attacked or kidnapped?

As a Christian, I received signs from God, but I was too anxious about my destination. I was supposed to travel on Sunday, but due to network issues with one of the telecommunication companies and a bank, I couldn?t. On Monday morning, I woke up my two daughters and asked them to pray for me.

After our morning devotion, I asked my wife to anoint me with oil before I left the house. I returned home once for no reason?something felt unusual. I saw those signs but didn?t listen to God?s warning.

Even while I was in the kidnappers? den, their leader called me and asked if God had given me any signs about the kidnapping. I told him yes, and that it was unfortunate I hadn?t listened to God?s voice. I told them that my destination had been the foremost thing on my mind.

What were the kidnappers eating?

They didn?t eat anything. They only relied on fruits they found while we were walking. It wasn?t until the eighth day that one of them went into town and bought a small quantity of garri, rice, and beans.

They gave us just a handful of garri each. For me, who had been injured, they bought some medicine to prevent infection. They gave me a handful of garri, which I ate with dirty water.

We drank from the same water that their cows drank. It was only after the first ransom was paid that they went to buy food and energy drinks, but they didn?t offer any to us, the hostages.

Has your bitter experience in the hands of kidnappers changed your faith in God?

It was God who saved me, not money. They insisted that the N100M ransom had to be paid for me to be freed. It was my faith, the prayers of my family, and the support of Nigerians that saved me.

A church in my area, which I had never attended before, held a special vigil on my behalf. I am truly grateful. I plan to go there to give thanks. God saved me, and I will hold on to Him because He is the Alpha and Omega. (The PUNCH)

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