Two of the threefemale travelers who were seized by kidnappers from a ‘God is Good Motors’ buson the outskirts of Abuja on December 21 have regained their freedom.
The good news
happened on Christmas Day, but it is unclear what happened to the third lady,
who was a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for now.
Upon their arrival
at the kidnappers camp, Ms. Obot said her captors repeatedly smashed her right
ankle with the barrel of a gun to dislocate it, to make sure that she did not
try to escape.
Describing her
ordeal to Sahara Reporters, Ms. Obot said a heavily armed gang numbering about
nine men intercepted the Abuja-bound bus. After they robbed all the occupants
at gun point, the criminals randomly selected her, a frail elderly woman and
the NYSC member, whom the gang members said "looked like they have wealthy
relatives".
They were marched on
foot for over an hour deep into a forest where a makeshift camp of raffia mats
and lanterns was guarded by other men who were armed with bayonet fitted
rifles.
She recalled that in
the first 24 hours in captivity, their abductors, who punched, slapped and
threatened to shoot her and the other victims, spoke on mobile phones to
members of her family demanding the sum of N5million for her release. They also
demanded a ransom from the families of the other two female captives.
She said their
captors wore masks and spoke English, pidgin and Hausa, but spoke mainly in
Fulani, with their purported leader claiming to have been a trained soldier of
the Nigerian Army.
Ms. Obot said the
armed gang also kidnapped a retired Nigerian Army officer and a three months’
pregnant woman, who were brought into the makeshift camp the following night,
December 22.
Narrating further,
Ms. Obot stated that and she and other captives were given only a cup of dirty
water and a piece of roasted yam once a day, at night. Their abductors
continued to negotiate drop-off locations for their expected ransom money and
for releasing the captives after collection.
Ms. Obot further
told SaharaReporters that the female NYSC member who was abducted with her was taken
away on December 23, as was the pregnant woman, who had begun bleeding
profusely by her second day in captivity. She did not know whether they were
released.
A very shaken Ms.
Obot also recalled that her abductors intermittently beat and threatened to
kill her as her family members maintained they had no ransom money and begged
for her release.
On the night of her
third day in captivity, Ms. Obot recalled over-hearing a heated argument
between some of the members of the kidnap ring where the term “Calabar,” in
reference to her, was mentioned, before two of the heavily armed men dragged
her to a different area. One of the two men who claimed to be their Commander
stated that her family was not cooperating concerning her ransom. She said she
was told that she was bad luck and would lead to their capture, and as such
that it was their decision to kill her that night.
She stated that
while she prayed and begged the kidnappers to release all of them, the
self-professed Commander of the gang slapped her very hard on the left ear,
following which she fell to the ground, with a liquid oozing from her left ear.
According to Ms
Obot, within moments of falling to the ground, three other heavily armed
members of the gang came to that area and began a heated argument in Fulani
language with the self-acclaimed commander and a second man with him. The three
arriving men stayed with her while the first two left that area.
Shortly after the
three men took over, she said they dragged her back to the elderly woman and
the retired soldier and were told them to leave. They pointed at a direction
and told them to run towards it and not look back if they wanted to live.
Ms. Obot, who is
limping on her dislocated ankle, said she and the retired soldier held the
frail elderly lady as they walked for a long time in the forest until they
reached a main road. At about 3:00 am on Christmas morning, following several
failed attempts at flagging down vehicles, a kind Nigerian who saw them
tattered and disheveled gave them a ride to a nearby police check point between
Kwali and Gwagwalada.
She said it was
there they reported their experience to the policemen and she later
re-established physical contact with her relatives who had since been in Abuja
and were working with law enforcement in connection with her abduction.
After an immediate
medical check-up, Ms. Obot was taken out of Abuja where she is receiving
treatment and is surrounded by family members as she starts her journey of
recovery from the excruciating trauma.
She expressed
gratitude to God for the miraculous release but was profoundly thankful to
Sahara Reporters for breaking the news and to her family members who were
steadfast in prayer and working with law enforcement, journalists and
well-wishers who supported them with prayers.
She was also
thankful to Samuel Ikon, a member of the House of Reps from Akwa Ibom State, who
read the story and issued an immediate press statement condemning the abduction
and appealing for the release of all the captives. She noted that the
legislator was a 1989 alumnus of the Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene,
when her late father was the principal of the school.
She is convicted
that the widespread interest the matter generated inflicted considerable
pressure on her abductors, and that the fear of imminent arrest caused them to
panic and release herself and the other two captives without any ransom being
paid.
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