How our Fulani guard organised our kidnap and shot one of us in the neck, victim tells Oyo court

A farm secretary, Latifat, last Thursday narrated her experience in the hands of kidnappers allegedly organised by Mohammed, one of the workers on the farm where she works.

Latifat, and his boss, Mr Elliott, an expatriate, were abducted on March 14, 2019 while inside a private farm belonging to Elliot and one Oje, and situated at Oduru Village, via Elekuru, Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Latifat, a prosecution witness, spoke before Justice Omolara S. Adeyemi at Court 10, Oyo State High Court in Ibadan during examination-in-chief by the prosecution counsel, Deborah Oluyemisi Collins Esq., at the further hearing of a kidnap case involving two defendants, Isah Mohammed and Mohammed Ishaka.

Latifat, who gave her age as 32, and works as a Farm Secretary, told her story in the court: “On the 14th of March, 2019, I went to the farm with my two bosses – Mr Oke and Mr Elliott. The farm is situated under Akinyele Local Government Area. I was working while my bosses went to check the farm. Mohammed, who was a security man and general worker, and others were also on the farm.

“All of a sudden, Mohammed took the bike we had on the farm and said that he wanted to go and repair it. The bike belonged to our company, and I had right to ask him questions about it. I told him that the bike was not faulty but he said he wanted to repair the tyre. Before I could call the attention of my boss, he left. Before he left, he bought bottled water for my bosses. He took the drink we had on the farm without permission. When my boss, Mr Oke, got back to the building, I reported Mohammed to him about the drink he took, and my boss asked me to leave him until his return.

“My boss said I should serve his food, after which he asked me to call one Baba Rafiu, an elderly man working with us.

When Baba Rafiu and I got back to the building where our bosses were, immediately we entered, we heard a gunshot, but we thought it was from hunters passing by. We continued our work, but there were continuous gunshots. My boss, Mr Oke, Baba Rafiu and I wanted to check what was happening, but on our way out, we saw five men that were not hunters. They were shouting: ‘lie down! Lie down.’

“At that time, Mohammed was the only worker not on the farm. Everybody ran away, including Mr Oke, leaving me, Mr Elliot and Baba Raufu. Elliot is a white man, so he obeyed and lay down while Baba Rafiu was trying to shut the door so that the men would not be able to come in. I went to hide under a table, then I heard another gunshot. They shot Baba Rafiu. After shooting him, they entered our farm house and pulled Elliot up. They carried all our bags and wanted to carry the drinks we bought for the farm that day. The drinks were under the table, where I hid. That was how they saw and picked me. They packed all our phones and started asking me for our manager. I told them that he had run away. They took me and Elliot.

“We were going in the bush – me, Elliot and the kidnappers. Three of them were in front of us while others were at the back. I didn’t know their number. When we got to a spot with a shade under a tree, they asked us to sit down. When they heard voices, they put us somewhere to hide us. They brought us out again when no voice was heard again, asking us to continue moving.

READ ALSO: How we were tortured, forced to pay N31 million ransom by Fulani gunmen —Oyo kidnap victims

“While going, we didn’t see any building, and at about 6:30/7 p.m., it started raining. They asked us to sit and brought out the phones they took from our office. There was no network when they switched on our phones, but they had network on their phones. They were receiving calls and speaking in a language we didn’t understand. They changed our location to a spot they were able to access network and messages started popping in. They asked Elliot if he would call anyone, but he said no, as he didn’t have any Nigerian number. They brought out all the phones and asked me to identify mine. They asked me if I had anyone to call and I said ‘yes’. They asked me to call. Fortunately, it was my phone they gave me, and messages were coming in. I picked a number randomly and immediately I called, the person who picked it said he was Oluwadare, the Chief Security Officer of IITA. When they saw I could reach someone, they collected the phone from me. Oluwadare said he wanted to speak with Elliot first before any other thing, and they gave my boss the phone.

“Elliot told Oluwadare that the kidnappers wanted money, asking him that he should arrange for anything they wanted. The reason Elliot told Oluwadare that was because they had already asked for money as we were walking in the bush. Elliot had asked if they would collect Bitcoin since he didn’t have cash, but they rejected it and insisted on cash. Oluwadare asked Elliot to return the phone to the kidnappers. They demanded N50 million. He begged them and they reduced it to N25 million. They ended the call and we continued walking in the bush.

“Later, Elliot told them he wanted to drink some water. Eventually, we got to a big farm with no building. Rain had stopped at that time, so they made fire because we were soaked to the skin. They cut plantain leaf for Elliot and I to sleep on. They said we should not worry, as they would be watching over us. They gave us our bags so that we could rest our heads on them. They started a meeting at a corner while three of them were watching over us. When I wanted to urinate, I told them.

“The following morning, they told us to rise and start walking. We got to a big tree and sat under it. They started calling and negotiating with Oluwadare. We stayed there till about 1 p.m. I heard the call for Jumat prayer because it was Friday. We were kidnapped on Thursday. I went to meet them that Elliot was not feeling fine, and there was a medication he was meant to take. However, they refused to heed my plea; that they would want to see money first. I heard them saying that we were closer to Ido Local Government Area.

“When we heard call to prayer for Muslims at 4 p.m., we moved and started going back. We had to stop again till the day turned dark. They were still calling our people and bargaining. Eventually, I saw a corner piece and did as if I wanted to fall. I looked at the number on the corner piece and realised that we were back on the company’s farm, but not ours precisely. So I told Elliot and asked to let us lie down there and tell them we were tired and couldn’t walk again. So they asked us to sit on the ground. They gave me phone and I called Oluwadare to ask when they would come with the ransom. He told me they were on their way and that they had spoken to the kidnappers. They warned Oluwadare not to come with the police. They also told him that they would not release us if the ransom was not complete. Elliot warned Oluwadare not to put any tracker on his phone and Oluwadare assured him there was nothing of such.

“While we were waiting for our people to come, they took the jewelries we had on us and begged us for forgiveness. Later, we heard a vehicle coming. I saw Oluwadare who came with the money. My father came with him. He gave us drinks, bread and water. They poured the money on the ground and checked. When they saw that it was complete, they released us. Elliot, Oluwadare, my father and I left.”

After her narration in the court, the Prosecution Counsel showed the prosecution witness a document for identification, which she did, saying that it was a statement by her in her handwriting.

After cross-examination by the defence counsel, Barrister Olufolahan Awoyemi, Justice Adeyemi adjourned the case till June 26 for further hearing.

It will be recalled that gunmen invaded a private farm at Oduru Village, via Elekuru, Moniya, belonging to Elliot and one Mr Oke on March 14, 2019, at about 3:30 p.m. and abducted Latifat and her boss, Elliot, an American citizen.

One of the staff members of the farm, Rafiu Adebayo, was shot in the neck and later died of the injury. Police detectives who went to the scene after the kidnap reportedly recovered expended shells of 7.1mm ammunition on the farm.

Before the two kidnap victims regained freedom at about 9 p.m. on March 16, the captors received N25 million as ransom. N10 million was paid in N1,000 notes, N5 million in N500 notes, while the remaining N10 million was given in dollars, equivalent to the amount.

The first defendant, Mohammed, a security man working on the invaded farm, who is of Fulani tribe from Birnin Kebbi, was arrested at Moniya a day after the incident and had told the police that he wanted to escape to the north to avoid arrest.

In his confessional statement, he admitted being the one who initiated the kidnap operation while the second defendant brought a kidnap kingpin simply known as Alhaji, while the Alhaji invited three other Fulani to carry out the attack.

He also confessed to selling the motorcycle allotted to him by the company for N60,000, after which he lodged in a hotel before his arrest at Akinyele Motor Park along with his brother for a journey to the north.

On his part, Ishaka, who was arrested on March 29, the same year, at Ido area, confirmed that it was Mohammed who approached him for a gang that would help him kidnap Elliot and Oke. While he was the one who linked Alhaji with Mohammed, Ishaka said he was given only N100,000 as Alhaji told him he got only N2 million as ransom.

In a suit with number I/18c/2020, Mohammed and Ishaka were arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder and kidnapping.