They told me to encourage my husband to pay ransom

In recent times, Benue State has witnessed many incidents of kidnappings. A female journalist,  Yuadoo Tor-Agbidye, who was kidnapped recently, recounted her ordeal to JOHNSON BABAJIDE.

IT was celebration galore for the family of Mrs Yuadoo Tor-Agbidye, the broadcaster who was released by her abductors a few weeks ago after having spent three days in captivity.

Mrs Tor-Agbidye was abducted by unknown persons in her house a month ago. Her husband, Mr Tor Agbidye, a senior manager at First City Monument Bank, was not around when it happened. It was three days of anxiety for the entire family as the broadcaster remained in captivity without any hope of regaining her freedom until the family’s joy, leapt in bounds when news of her release filtered in.

Not long after the release, friends and colleagues stormed their residence to felicitate with them. Scores of family members, as well as staff of First City Monumental Bank, were seen celebrating with the family over her release.

Narrating her ordeal, the woman said her abductors took her to a forest close to Aondona village in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

“After breaking into the house around 4 a.m., they blindfolded me and took me away in my car. We drove for some hours and I didn’t know where we were heading until much later while in the bush. I started hearing voices where I was kept. It was then that I realised that we were in a forest in Masev area of Gwer Local Government because of their Tiv accent, which is peculiar to them.

“While there, they kept in touch with my husband and family members, warning that they would kill me if the family members failed to cooperate with them. At the same time, they would turn to me and assure me that they would not hurt me.

“A few times, they asked me to speak with my husband to encourage him to cooperate with them. They also warned that even if my husband employed all the security operatives in the state, nobody would be able to trace them.

“The negotiation for my release took my husband to Yelwata, a border town between Benue and Nasarawa states.

“In fact, on that Monday night, the watch around me was relaxed and I tried to escape, not knowing what had transpired between my family and them. They allowed me escape, only to discover that my husband and his friend were within the area searching and hoping for my release,” she stated.

Mrs. Tor-Agbidye, who is yet to get the full details of what transpired between her abductors and her family, and whether a ransom was paid for her release or not, said she did not suspect anyone for her ordeal.

Police report indicated that those behind her abduction were insiders who knew the movement of the family. It was gathered that barely a day before the abduction, a dog at the their residence mysteriously died, thus giving the intruders unhindered access the day they broke into the house.

Police said two persons had been arrested in connection with the incident, which has created fear among residents of the state. This is because there is a spike in the number of kidnap stories in the state. Hardly does a week go by without any report of kidnapping in the state. It was at the height of this development that a vicar general of the Catholic Church, Otukpo, Rev. Fr Adenyi, was abducted and eventually killed by his abductors, despite collecting a huge sum of money as ransom.

Last year posed an ardous task to security operatives in the state, having seemingly lost the battle against kidnappers who terrorised residents of the ‘food basket of the nation.’

Gboko, Otukpo, Katsina Ala, Zaki Biam and other urban centres of the state had at one time or the other, a taste of kidnapping saga in the state. Kidnap of infants is also on the increase across the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Bashir Makama, has, however, assured residents that the command would not rest on its oars in apprehending those behind kidnapping in the state.

He added that manhunt for a notable gang leader in the state, Terwase Angwasa, popularly known as Gana, and his gang, is ongoing.

Terwase is said to be behind major crimes in the state. A female lecturer of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Ms Christie Agbulu, who was kidnapped during a visit to Kogi State on November 16, is yet to regain her freedom.

A call by the Academic Staff Union of universities (ASUU) through its chairman, Dr. Bemgba Anjembe, on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene is yet to bear fruit.

It was learnt that as soon as Agbulu arrived in Lokoja on a visit, she was kidnapped while her abductors later used her phone to call friends and relations to demand a ransom of N150,000.

“N100,000 was paid into her account and her abductors quickly withdrew the money using her ATM card.

“The balance of N50,000 could not be paid just as the matter was reported to the police,” Dr. Anjembe was quoted to have said when he went to Lokoja to seek ways to effect Agbulu’s release.