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Two of the three female travelers who were seized by
kidnappers from a ‘God is Good Motors’ bus on 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.
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