Dayo Dasilva, OGUN  

A member of a dare devil Kidnap Syndicate operating along Ewekoro has boasted that ‘no police officer in Ogun State can attempt to arrest them, with the kind of sophisticated guns and charms in their possession’.

This was disclosed by a victim, Idowu Sanusi while narrating his ordeal, in the hands of the kidnappers, who abducted him and his friend, Yusuff Olatunji, along Itori, Ewekoro axis of Ogun State, on a Sunday evening, while attempting to tow their truck that broke down on the road. 

Idowu, still in shock of the experience told Nigerian Newstrack that, nowhere is safe again, as he never thought he could be abducted in a place he had lived for over 40 years, by strangers.

Narrating his encounter to Nigerian Newstrack, Idowu said “ I was in the company of my friends Yusuff and Mustapha Okanlawon in a bid to tow a broken down truck partially blocking the road, to avoid accident”.

“We have concluded arrangements with the people that will come and tow the vehicle when Five Fulani guys in military camouflage uniforms came out with sophisticated weapons. Infact, I thought they were officers of Op Mesa, until when they started collecting our phones behaving roughly” Idowu said.

In his words “Mustapha escaped immediately he saw them coming, my attempts to escape proved abortive as I was brought down forcefully, while one of them told me that they were kidnappers and he will not hesitate to kill me if I try to escape again, he then corked his gun, shouting ‘you want kill yourself, you no dey hear news, na we kill one fuel station manager in Ewekoro, a pastor died in our hands, walahi I go delete you”.

Showing the bruises on his hands, Idowu explained that he had to cooperate as they took him and Yusuff into the bush around 8:45 pm and they walked for few minutes, when their leader speaking in Yoruba on phone talked to someone that they are around a church. 

Idowu said, a vehicle which looks like Micra came few minutes after the call and they entered the vehicle which drove them for like 20 minutes with clothes tied around their eyes. 

According to him, “when the car stopped us, we trekked further into the bush till about 4:00 am the next day, as they take drugs and rest intermittently along the railway tracks, until we got to a deep bush that looks like a cage."

"They started making calls and their dressing and language confirmed they were Fulani men, but they work with some Yoruba people. We were told to sit down and rest, but I could not sleep”.

Idowu said, “we got talking and at a point their leader got annoyed when my friend told them that they are brothers as he is a Muslim like them. The leader told him point blank that he will shoot him if he repeats that, as they never introduced themselves to him as Muslims saying 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 3 lines each and requested for N50 million each totaling N100 million within 24 hours or our lives will be terminated. They later accepted to collect N10 million after series of 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 kinds of guns before, boasting that no police can face them if they don’t want to die. They even claimed that if they do charms and it doesn’t work they will kill the doer or herbalist immediately.”

Idowu in an emotion laden voice said, "Nigeria has failed me", noting that the case was duly reported at the Itori Police station, where the officers were very supportive and happy that they came out alive. 

Idowu and Yusuff were abducted on Sunday evening and released on Monday evening, but the traumatic experience would not be forgotten so easily as Idowu said he was faced with death in the hands of the Kidnappers, whom he suspected could have information about them before the incident.

All attempts to speak with the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO SP Abimbola Oyeyemi on the spate of Kidnapping in Ogun State proved abortive.