My Experience In Kidnappers’ Den, By Victim

A victim of kidnapping who wants his identity hidden for security reasons, narrates his unpleasant three-day experience in the hands of kidnappers who kept him until his family members paid ransom money.

It was a Sunday afternoon, I was returning to Asaba from Warri where I went to attend to some pressing family issues. We left PTI junction in Effurun at about 3.30pm. It was at Orerokpe where we stopped to buy some heads of plantain that my driver informed me that he noticed a black Toyota Camry that drove past us appeared to have been trailing us from DSC Township, Orhuworhun. But I dismissed it.

We were at a lonely section of the Warri/ Agbor Road, between Orerokpe and Eku, a bad spot on the road. It was like a scene from an American movie. They swooped on us in commando style, ordered my driver to pull off the road, pulled me out of the car, forced me into their waiting Toyota Camry, blindfolded me and drove away.

They drove for like an hour. But it was like eternity. When they finally stopped, they dragged me out of the car, pushed me into a room, where I remained for three days during which they negotiated my ransom with my family.

Throughout the period, they threatened to kill me if my family members did not cooperate with them or if they involved the police in the negotiation. I sternly warned my wife not to do anything stupid as I knew my captors would not spare my life should anything go wrong.

When it became apparent that my blood pressure was rising, I told my wife to look for money from wherever to give to them. All the time, I never ceased praying to God to spare my life and to reunite me with my family.

Throughout the period of my incarceration, they provided Indomie noodles for me twice daily. For the first 24 hours, I refused to eat, but when I could no longer bear the pain in my stomach, I had to eat the food to preserve my life.

In the evening of the third day, when we finally struck a deal, they again took me into their car and drove for about 45 minutes before stopping. We then walked a foot path to a house with iron gates.

After entering into the compound, I heard a dog barking in the distance. One of the kidnappers pointed his pistol at my head, threatening to kill me should my wife come with the police. I almost passed out when the cold steel pipe of the pistol touched my forehead. Tears flowed freely from my eyes. I thought that was the end of my life.

When we finally entered a room, they left me and one of their men in the room. I could hear two of them making calls from another room, and after about 30 minutes, we went back to where the car was parked. They pushed me into the car again, drove for about five minutes, slowed down, opened the door, and pushed me out while the car was still rolling. My wife picked me up about five minutes later.

According to my wife, they sternly warned her to drive alone to Agbor that night with the ransom money, and if she tried to play smart, they would finish me. I also warned my wife to cooperate with them. My experience showed that many cases of kidnapping go unreported. What if I informed the police and they killed me? My family would be the loser. I knew the police might have done something, but what if they made a mistake and I was killed? It is a harrowing experience that no one will want to go through.