Minister’s cousin narrates ordeal with kidnappers

It was a tale of woes for Austin Abide Odion, the first cousin to Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, as the telecoms engineer, who is in his 40s, relayed his ordeals in the hands of Fulani kidnappers that kidnapped him and ensured that he spent the Christmas in the forest, alongside his friend, Lawrence Egumamhe.

The duo, who were kidnapped on December 23, 2021, along the Fugar Agenebode Road at about 7.00 pm, were released by their abductors on December 26, Boxing Day, after their families paid huge sums of money as ransom.

Both Odion and the junior minister, Agba, hail from Unemeh-Uzanu in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State in Edo North Senatorial District.

Odion said he left his family in Benin City, Edo State capital, to spend the Yuletide in his home town but the nine kidnappers, who he described as Fulani because they communicated through the period he spent with them in the forest, intercepted his plans for the festive season, as he wan not only kidnapped but the money he was travelling with was taken away and was still made to pay an undisclosed sum of money as ransom for him to regain his freedom.

He speaks: “On December 23, 2021, I left Benin City, with the intention of celebrating Christmas in my hometown, Unemeh-Uzanu, in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State in Edo North Senatorial District, where the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba, also hails from. I am a cousin to Mr. Clem Agba.

“I decided to travel on December 23, 2021, in order to beat the usually heavy traffic on Christmas eve and to be able to attend to some important matters in my hometown.

“I joined from Benin City at 2:00 pm, the Mercedes Benz 320 car of my bosom friend, Lawrence Egumamhe, an indigene of Agenebode, the headquarters of Etsako East LGA. I sat on the passenger’s seat, while Egumamhe’s three boys, aged 12, 10 and 8, sat at the back of the car.

“As we were ascending the hill between Fugar and Agenebode, just by vigilance members’ checkpoint, around 7 p.m., we saw some men who pointed the torch at us, and we thought that they were vigilance members since the spot was their (vigilance members’) usual checkpoint, but they suddenly started to shoot directly at us and our car, using AK-47 assault rifles.

“The sporadic gunshots were deafening, with the nine unmasked/unhooded Fulani herdsmen, who were freely speaking Fulfude (Fulani language) firing bullets at us from the left, right, front and back.

“When it became obvious that the gunmen were kidnappers, Egumamhe attempted to make a U-turn, in order to quickly return to Fugar, but I pleaded with him not to try the suicide mission, in order not to endanger the lives of his three children, who could be killed by the kidnappers in anger.

“When the sporadic gunshots subsided and the kidnappers were coming towards our car, Egumamhe and I quickly hid our mobile phones in the car, with the three kids watching us, but I could not hide the bag containing a huge sum of money that I travelled with, in order to avoid the stress of withdrawing money in my hometown, especially through Point Of Sale (POS) machine.

“The kidnappers first removed the bag containing my money and marched Egumamhe and me into the forest, leaving my friend’s three children in his car.

“The oldest of the children later smartly and courageously picked his father’s mobile phone and called his mother in Benin City to inform her of the kidnap and their location, with my friend’s wife contacting some of their relatives in Agenebode, who quickly rushed to the scene with some vigilance members, rescued the children and moved them and the car to the Divisional Police Headquarters at Agenebode, with the children explaining to the police what happened and they, were moved to the house of their paternal grandmother at Agenebode, but they were later returned to Benin City.

“Egumamhe and I were with the kidnappers in the forest for four days, without food or water, while we continued to trek a long distance and we moved towards Okenne in Kogi State. We begged the kidnappers to allow us to drink dirty water in the forest, but they refused, as they were only interested in collecting ransom from our people. We celebrated Christmas and Boxing Day with the criminals in the forest.

“When the nine Fulani herdsmen wanted to make calls to negotiate a ransom, my friend and I would be forced to join them to climb high mountains, so as to have networks. The kidnappers initially demanded N15 million ransom from my people, but it was negotiated. My people in Benin City and Agenebode eventually paid ransom to the kidnappers in millions of naira, but I will not disclose the exact amount, for security reasons.

“While Egumamhe and I were with the kidnappers in the forest at night, they caught (kidnapped) a hunter and collected his gun.

“The kidnappers asked my friend and me if we understood Hausa or Fulfude (Fulani language), but we said no. So, they continued to freely speak in Fulfude, while we were dehumanised, thoroughly beaten, humiliated, tortured, embarrassed, harassed and threatened to kill us if the ransom was not quickly paid.

“Egumamhe and I were released at 6 p.m. on December 26, 2021, around Okpella in Etsako East LGA of Edo State”.

Odion cautioned commuters to be security conscious. Always, and avoid night journeys, saying, “Edo State is not safe, contrary to the claim by Governor Godwin Obaseki and his allies.”

“We still have good and God-fearing persons as police officers and men. We should always assist the security agencies with useful and timely information, as well as logistics, in order for their personnel to perform optimally and ensure adequate protection of lives and property.

“You are aware that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Fugar in Etsako Central LGA of Edo State, Ibrahim Aliyu Ishaq, was abducted on November 27, 2021, with the kidnappers demanding N50 million ransom before he could regain his freedom. He was seized around Ise River, along the old Auchi-Ekperi-Agenebode Road.

“The DPO was driving his private car when the marauding kidnappers suddenly blocked his vehicle and started shooting sporadically into the air, picked the victim and hurriedly moved him into the forest.

“Although, Edo Commissioner of Police, Phillip Ogbadu, directed men of the state command’s Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Unit, Tactical and Strike teams, to move into Fugar and its environs in Edo North Senatorial District to rescue the DPO unhurt and unconditionally, but ransom in millions of naira was unofficially paid before the senior police officer regained his freedom.

The kidnappers are freely operating in Edo North Senatorial District, in spite of the presence of army barracks at Agenebode, while the representative of Edo North Senatorial District, Senator Francis Asekhame Alimikhena, a retired Major, also hails from Igiode in Etsako East LGA. Senator Alimikhena ought to have used his influence to strengthen/beef up security in Edo North Senatorial District since he regularly passes through the same road”, he lamented.

The kidnapped victim disclosed that he was later informed that “the same nine Fulani herdsmen, who kidnapped Egumamhe and I, also attempted to kidnap a soldier near Auchi, the headquarters of Etsako West LGA of Edo State, shortly after we were released, but the criminals met their waterloo, as the source disclosed that soldiers arrested one of them, while the others were fatally wounded. I saw the video, showing the faces of the Fulani herdsmen who kidnapped my friend and me.”

A Benin-based human rights lawyer, Douglas Ogbankwa, who facilitated the interview, urged that the governors of the 36 states of Nigeria judiciously apply their security votes of over N500 million monthly per state, to ensure the security of lives and property, rather than giving peanuts to the security agencies, without providing them with patrol vehicles, arms, ammunition, the needed equipment and other essential items.

Ogbankwa also suggested that the vigilance system in Nigeria, particularly in Edo State, should be strengthened, while vigilance members should be adequately remunerated, in order to have a sense of belonging and to be more dedicated to their duties.

When contacted, the spokesman of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin City, Edo State, Captain Olayemi Samson Sokoya, confirmed that Odion called him and promised to call back later.

This was just as the Edo Police Command Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Kontongs Bello, did not answer the calls made to his mobile phone.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…Minister’s cousin narrates ordeal  Minister’s cousin narrates ordeal

Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train

The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…Minister’s cousin narrates ordeal  Minister’s cousin narrates ordeal