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Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Man Quits Farm Business After Paying N10.5m Ransom, Insists Kidnappers Still Wreaking Havoc

An Ibadan businessman, Alhaji Miftah Adediran, who recently regained freedom from suspected Fulani kidnappers has narrated his ugly experience while in the den of the kidnappers.

According to him, he was with his uncle and partner and one other official were together when the incident happened.

Miftah, whose farm is around Ogunmakin off Idi-Ayunre in the Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, recounts how seven Fulani armed men suddenly jumped out of the bush and waylaid them.

“It was about 3.50 pm. They just came out of the bush and forced us out of the vehicle and took our phones and deactivated them.

One of them emerged in our front and by the time we looked back, we saw six others, armed, so, we did not struggle with them. They put all our phones in a bag and marched us into the bush. We trekked for about six or seven hours but my geographical instinct was telling me that we were just going round in circles”.

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At a point, I became thirsty because I was fasting that Monday and I saw a stream of water from where some cattle were drinking from. I had to scoop some of the water with my hand and gulped it just to stay alive”.

He narrated how they got scared at some point upon seeing forest animals emerge around midnight before they finally settled for a path not far from the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Miftah added that for each of the four nights they spent in captivity, the kidnappers were changing their location during the day and keeping them in their previous location and night.

Meanwhile, he recounted how they were not given food but offered raw cassava instead.

Sooner, their family members were contacted to bring a total of N25 Million out of which they were able to raise N15 million. According to him, they were beaten to stupor to cooperate with their demands which included cigarettes, soft drinks and ransom.

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Describing how they paid the ransom, he said, “When the ransom was brought, some of them went to collect it at their chosen location while some stayed behind with you. After collecting the ransom, those that went phoned those with us to bring us over to where they were. We trekked for about 15 minutes to get there. They opened the bag and gave us from the bread and the drinks that our person brought before they released us. They also requested MTN cards and they were given N2,000 worth of MTN recharge cards.

When they said we could go, my uncle asked them, “Should we run or walk?” They said we were free to walk away. They directed us to a particular bush path, saying it would lead us to the main road. Then they went back into the bush”.

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Insisting that kidnapping activities are still thriving in Lagos-Ibadan forests, especially along the Oluyole Government Area,  Miftah said they reported to the police and DSS who appeared not to have combed the forest well for the evil perpetrators.

With the ugly experience, he said his family had warned him to stop business around the area for his safety.

“The kidnappers told us that their gang does not strike twice but they didn’t know of other gangs. They assured us that they would not kidnap us again but other gangs can strike.”

IFRAME SYNC

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