Passengers of the Lagos-bound 18-seater passenger bus who were rescued by Ondo Amotekun have narrated their ordeals in the hands of their abductors.
The victims blamed the driver of the vehicle for making their abduction easier for the hoodlums who kidnapped them.
They said they were abandoned by the driver of the 18-seater passenger bus during the incident.
Speaking, the three victims identified as Benjamin Ojoga, Omolara Fajana, and Faith Sunday, who were handed over to their families at the Amotekun’s headquarters in Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, said the driver of the bus zoomed off after the kidnappers fired gunshots and left them to their fate.
Ojoga explained that the gunmen struck when the passengers had alighted from the bus in order to enable the vehicle to move freely at a bad portion of the road in Ifira-Akoko
He said the decision of the driver made it easy for the kidnappers to abduct them as they were not conversant with the terrain.
He said “It was after the gunshots that the driver of the bus zoomed off which gave the kidnappers the opportunity to abduct us.
“I got the injury from the beating the kidnappers gave me. They were saying that I’m a force man and I told them I’m not. But they didn’t believe me.
Also speaking on her ordeal, another victim, Omolara Fajana said “On that very day, we were coming from Abuja and heading to Lagos. Shortly after leaving Ibilo, our bus got stuck on the bad portion. After spending about three to four hours getting the bus out, we continued the journey.
“On getting to Ifira-Akoko, we met another bad portion and the driver told us to come down so that the bus will be lighter and to enable it to move easily.
“Immediately we came down from the bus, we heard gunshots and everybody became jittery. At that moment, the bus zoomed off and the gunmen were able to pick four of us. One of us, an old woman who was limping was allowed to go but, they collected her phone.
“The incident happened around 6:30 pm. Then, they made us walk for about three hours inside the bush. The kidnappers were speaking pidgin English and they looked like herdsmen.”
The State Commander of Amotekun in the state, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said men of the state security outfit had been drafted into the forest in order to apprehend the kidnappers.
Adeleye said “After we were able to secure the release of the first nine, Amotekun operatives still continued to comb the forest which is so massive.
“It is the same forest that extends to some parts of Kogi State. We started tracing them and once they started maintaining contact with the victim’s families, we also commenced tracking up to the point we now gave them a very hot chase and we were able to secure their release.
“For now, we have not made any arrest but we are tracking and working on them. We are actually working on the situation alongside the DSS, Police. It is a synergy of all security agencies, we are just taking the lead.”
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…
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…
and then