Friday, December 15, 2023, was a nightmare for Nigerian juju band, Adebukoye Sofumade Adewunmi (aka Omoba De Jumbo Beats), whose members were reportedly kidnapped along the Lokoja-Abuja highway, a few days before Christmas.
The band leader was abducted alongside his crew while returning from a show in Kogi.
How it happened
The band leader who spoke exclusively with TRIBUNE ONLINE, narrated how they walked a long distance for hours inside an unknown forest.
“We had an event in Abuja from 16th to 17th (last month) but that event on the 15th happens to be in Itakete Isanlu, Kogi, a very small town. So one of our big fans here in Abuja contacted me and said, ‘I want you to please play for my sister’s mother’s burial in Itakete Isanlu but it’s a very small town you can’t see very good hotel there. We have to lodge you in Isanlu, which is very close to that place’.
“Sincerely, I don’t want to go but because he’s one of my big fans, I just have to listen to him and I agreed to go with my boys.
“We also have another event on the 16th and 17th, which is Saturday and Sunday in Abuja, which is the main event we went to where this thing (kidnap) happened.
“So, we left Abuja on Thursday (14th) with my guys, thirteen of them, and were lodged at Isanlu. From there, we went to Itakete Isanlu. After the event in Itakete Isanlu, we finished that event around 5:30 in the evening. On Friday, we agreed to go to Kabba, and from there to Lokoja, since we have another event in Abuja on the 16th and 17th. So, we left Itakete Isanlu some minutes to 6 O’clock and got to Kabba around 8:05.
“When we got to Kabba, we dropped and eased ourselves. We also washed the car because of the dust around that place and continued our journey from Kabba.
“Immediately we got to a small village after Dangote cement factory around 9:12 pm, we just noticed flashes of light at a spot immediately after the soldier checkpoint, like a 4 4-minute drive after the checkpoint. I sat at the front and could see everything that was going on.
“Three buses were ahead of us. We now saw the first one turning back. When we asked him what was going on? He said there were armed robbers in the front, so all of us now turned back.
“As we were turning back, the people we saw at the soldier checking point started shooting. They shot at the first bus that gave us the intel. I know people died on that bus, I am very sure of that because I saw what was going on.
“So, they now started shooting our bus. It was just God that saved us because if you see the bullet in that bus too, you will be amazed. Our bus stopped after they shot at the engine.
“When the bus stopped, they asked every one of us to alight and lie flat on the ground. After lying down, they started shooting again, it was just the mercy of God that the bullet didn’t meet anybody. We were then asked to stand up. They now told us in Hausa to go. We now continued the journey.
“After we got to another place, they told us to bring out everything that we had with us. We gave them our phones and money because we were coming from an event, including all the money that they sprayed us. They threw away our guitars, keyboards, and other musical instruments.
“They also packed our shoes and the stuff we had with us. From there, we asked to march to the bush in a straight line.
“So from that spot, we trekked like 8 hours to where they stopped to the main point where they camped us. We couldn’t get to that spot that night. We had to sleep in one place. They took us to the main camp in the morning,” he narrated.
At the kidnappers’ den
It was an ugly experience for Omoba De Jumbo Beats and his crew in their four days in captivity, as they were left helpless with no freedom in sight.
In Adewunmi’s words, “We were tied like Sallah meat”. The victims (13 of them) were also starved for the days spent in the kidnappers’ den.
“For the days we spent there, we had no food, water, or anything to eat. It’s just the mercy of God that kept us alive,” he added.
According to him, “I never thought we would be freed, because they told us to pay ₦10 million each. I lost hope at a point because the suffering was too much, I couldn’t even pray that for my enemy”.
‘We almost got killed’
He said the gang leader at a point ordered that the kidnappers kill three of his crew members but God used him to rescue them.
“Their oga (gang leader) told them that they should kill three of us before they released us that they can’t release all of us, and that they should kill 3 among us.
“So, I pleaded with them and they said no that their oga had given them instruction. I further told them if I go home and they kill my guys that are just looking for what to eat, their family would be on my neck and I would not have peace, just help me to beg Oga that he should allow all of them to go, I will sacrifice myself, they should kill only me.
“I don’t know if that statement was what made them change their mind because immediately I said that, their commandant just shook his head (dramatising) and went away. He came back a few minutes later and said, ‘just make sure the money is complete’,” he revealed.
He, however, urged the federal government to look into the prevailing security challenges in the country by putting measures in place to mitigate against banditry amongst other criminal activities.
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