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JOURNALIST WHO ESCAPED FROM KIDNAPPERS’ DEN, OLUWOL E OBAFEMI NARRATES HIS EXPERIENCE
A freelance journalist, Oluwole Obafemi has regained his freedom from his captors as he managed to escape from the camp of kidnappers who picked him along seven others on Benin/Ore Expressway, Society Gazette can report.
Obafemi and other passengers of a vehicle that was Ondo State bound were unfortunate to have been kidnapped on dreaded Benin/Ore expressway. The incident happened on 25th June, 2021. Obafemi was however lucky to have seen an escape route after five days in the kidnappers den.
Oabafemi, a former staff of popular media organization, MITV/Star Fm, narrated his ordeal in the hands of his captors whom he said were young Fulani men.
“I was going to Akure in Ondo state and I boarded the Bus from Ojota. The journey had been smooth until we got to Benin/Ore road. The driver noticed a barrier on the road and slowed down, and before we knew it, some armed men numbering about five jumped out from the bush. They collected all our valuables and picked eight of us from the Bus and marched us into the bush.” Obafemi explained.
He narrated to Society Gazette the young Fulani boys were basically out to make money. He however said they kidnappers didn’t ask them to contact their families until following day, after they had been made to walk long miles away from point of abduction.
“Our abductors were young Fulani men and they were out to make money. From the point we were abducted, we were made to walk several miles so as to beat security operatives who might been on their trail. It was in the afternoon of the following day that we were properly settled. The worst experience was the torture they meted on us so we could put pressure on our families members to pay the demanded ransom on time.”
Obafemi said he was unlucky to have got tortured than others because his family were only begging the kidnappers to let go of him and that they had no money to pay.
“My case was a peculiar one because I was seriously beaten because my family could not raise 10million naira they were demanding or even less. Two of us had were released three days after, when their families paid their ransom. They could not pay the demanded amount but they bargained and paid what they had. I was constantly getting beaten because my family could not raise the money. I was however lucky on the fifth day when the abductors led other abductees to go and drink from a stream in the bush. They considered me too weak to walk out of beaten I had received, so while they were away, I mustered the strength I could and escaped. I walked for hours before I got to a settlement where the dwellers assisted me to locate the main road.” Obafemi said.
The lucky freelance photo/camera journalist who travels around the country to source for materials for his job urged the government to pay attention to the issue of kidnapping because of the alarming rate it is assuming.
It is on record that thousands have been victims of kidnappers around the country and paid huge ransom for their freedom. Many have equally been unlucky not to return. Some die as a result of torture, long trek, while some were killed by their abductors for not been able to pay up ransom. In the same way, many have not recovered from encounter of such horrific experience.
