A kidnap victim, Idowu Ajayi, in this interview with ABIODUN NEJO shares his experience in gunmen’s den and the ordeals of relatives, who secured his release
How were you kidnapped?
It happened along the Ikole-Ijesa Isu road at 4:30pm on March 14. I went to Ijesha Isu from Ikole to assist my mum to carry yams which were already by the roadside. I picked them and was on my way back when it happened. I got to a bad portion of the road, where I had to compulsorily slow down.
As I applied the brake, I heard a gunshot-like sound and was confused about whether it was a gunshot or a tyre burst.
Before I knew what happened, two armed men had emerged from the bush. I saw two others ahead and they started firing gunshots. We were two in my car because I offered a 14-year-old girl a free ride from Ijesa Isu to Ikole.
As I saw them, not knowing two others were at the back also, I put the car on reverse gear, but with the punctured tyre and those at the back, I had to park. The gunmen were six in number, two of them were positioned before the bad portion, two were in the bush at the bad portion and the remaining two were after the bad portion. It was those at the pothole side that shot at the car tyre.
They ordered me out of the car and started beating me. They smashed the car glasses and shot sporadically in the air to prevent other vehicles from coming. They searched the car and removed the N21,000 there and as well took the N14,000 in my pocket.
Later, they led me into the bush. We did not go farther than a pole away from the road. They collected my shoes, wristwatch and belt and ordered me and the girl to lie down. From there, I could hear when people came to the vehicle and when the police arrived at the scene, but I could not say anything.
Didn’t the policemen comb the bush?
According to them, they combed the bush, but I want to believe they went through the other side. If they had reinforced immediately and searched everywhere, the story might have been different.
Source: punchnewspapers
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