22-year-old Aminat Taiwo, who was one of the lucky victims that left the hideout of the Lagos-Ibadan kidnappers last weekend, has recounted how she escaped the kidnappers’ den after falling into the trap of the camouflage-wearing abductors.
While some were killed, Aminat and her friend, Tobi Orekoya were freed on Sunday evening after a N3.2m ransom was paid.
Recounting her experience, she said; “There was no traffic on the road and it was not night. We were on our way to Ibadan when we discovered that kidnappers had laid an ambush for vehicles passing around that period along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. They ordered us to lie down and started shooting sporadically”.
Narrating how people who managed to escape were hit by bullets, Aminat said their abductors who covered their faces were more than 30, wore soldiers and police uniforms.
According to her narrative, the incident happened around 5 pm on Friday.
“I was coming from Abeokuta to attend a friend’s wedding in Ibadan when we were attacked. We boarded a Sienna space van from Panseke Park; we were eight in the vehicle. Our vehicle passed through the Isiun-Ogere road to link the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“Three of us from our vehicle were kidnapped, the other victims were from other vehicles. Many people fell victim. Some people in their private cars were also attacked and some people escaped in midnight when we were being taken into a deep forest.
“On our way, they asked us to lie down. They collected all our money and phones. They collected gold chains, wristwatches, and other pieces of jewellery.
“We were moving in the bush for several hours; they did not give us water or food. We were licking water on leaves inside the forest.
“For the two days I spent with them, we were moving around the forest, we don’t stay too long in one place before they move us to another place.
“They did not have a house or anywhere to hide us. We sleep wherever the night meets us; we were sleeping inside the forest for two days. Some of us will sleep on trees, while others will sleep on the grass”, she added.
Aminat further stated that they couldn’t attempt to escape as the men were armed to the teeth.
“We can’t attempt to escape because since two guys escaped on the first night, they changed their strategy. They always surround us, so, there is no way we can make any attempt.
“We used to hear the voices of people because most of the places we were sleeping belong to farmers. We saw cassava, maize, and other plantations inside the forest.
“When our abductors discovered that we are hearing the voices of neighbouring villagers, they will move us to another place”, she added.
Further describing the identity of the abductors, Aminat noted that they are Hausas who understand and speak Yoruba fluently.
“Many of them are young, some can’t be more than 15 or 16 years old. They were carrying guns like AK 47. They were speaking Yoruba, but they are Hausas. They don’t understand any other language apart from Yoruba and Hausa. If they hear us speak English, they will beat us”, she stated.
Aminat’s father who also interacted with the interviewer disclosed how the police couldn’t help him but rather advised that he negotiated with the kidnappers and insist on N2m. He said he later went to Amotekun at Mowe but they also turned him down saying they cannot do anything asides from the order of the DPO.
He said he was left with no choice but to bargain from N10million with one of the abductors who called him.
He later said he paid N3.2million ransom after he met the abductors in military uniform around the Dominion University area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
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