IT was tale of woe for Austin Abide Odion, first cousin to Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning. The telecoms engineer, who is in his 40s, related his ordeals at the hands of Fulani kidnappers that abducted him and made him spend Christmas Day in the forest alongside his friend, Lawrence Egumamhe.
The duo, who were kidnapped on 23 December,2021, on Fugar-Agenebode Road at about 7.00 p.m., were released by their abductors on December 26, Boxing Day, after their families paid huge sums of money as ransoms.
Odion and 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, the Edo State capital, to spend the Yuletide in his hometown but the nine kidnappers, whom he described as Fulani because they communicated throughout the period he spent with them in the forest, disrupted his plans for the festive season, as he was not only kidnapped but the money he was travelling with was taken away and he was still made to pay an undisclosed sum of money to regain his freedom.
He said: “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 him.
“I decided to travel on December 23, 2021, in order to beat the usual 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 p.m., the Mercedes Benz 320 car of my bosom friend, Lawrence Egumamhe, an indigene of Agenebode, headquarters of Etsako East Local Government Area. I sat in the passenger’s seat while Egumamhe’s three boys, aged 12, 10 and eight, sat in the back seat.
“As we were ascending the hill between Fugar and Agenebode, just by vigilance members’ checkpoint, around 7.00 p.m., we saw some men who pointed torches 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 Fulani herdsmen, who were 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 I 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 Days with the criminals in the forest.
“When the nine Fulani herdsmen wanted to make calls to negotiate ransom, my friend and I would be forced to join them to climb high mountains so as to have network. The kidnappers initially demanded N15 million from my people but it was negotiated. My people in Benin City and Agenebode eventually paid ransom to the kidnappers in millions of naira. I will not disclose the exact amount for security reason.
“While Egumamhe and I were with the kidnappers in the forest, one night, they caught (kidnapped) a hunter and collected his gun.
“The kidnappers asked my friend and I if we understood Hausa or Fulfude (Fulani language) but we said no. So, they continued to speak freely in Fulfude, while we were tortured and threatened with death if the ransom was not quickly paid.
“Egumamhe and I were released at 6.00 p.m. on December 26, 2021 around Okpella in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.”
Odion cautioned commuters to be security conscious always and avoid night journeys.
He said: “Edo State is not safe. 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 Local Government Area of Edo State, Ibrahim Aliyu lshaq, 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 kidnappers suddenly blocked his vehicle and started shooting sporadically into air, picked the victim and hurriedly moved him into the forest.
“Although, Edo State 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 operating freely 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 Local Government Area. Senator Alimikhena ought to have used his influence to beef up security in Edo North Senatorial District, since he regularly passes through the same road.”
The kidnapped victim disclosed that he was later informed that “the same nine Fulani herdsmen, who kidnapped me and Egumamhe, also attempted to kidnap a soldier near Auchi, headquarters of Etsako West Local Government Area 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 wounded. I saw the video showing the faces of the Fulani herdsmen who kidnapped me and my friend.”
A Benin-based human rights lawyer, Douglas Ogbankwa, who facilitated the interview, urged the governors of the 36 states of Nigeria to 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 and other essential items.
Ogbankwa also suggested that vigilance system in Nigeria, particularly in Edo State, should be strengthened, while vigilance members should be adequately remunerated in order to give them a sense of belonging and make them 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 State Police Public Relations Officer, Kontongs Bello, did not answer calls made to his mobile phone.