How my friend and I celebrated Christmas in kidnappers’ den — Victim

Austin Abide Odion

Austin Abide Odion left his residence in Benin, Edo State capital as early as December 23, 2021 for his hometown, Unemeh-Uzanu in Etsako East Local Government Area, in order to beat the traffic snarl associated with the Yuletide period. To quicken his journey, he chose to join his bosom friend, Lawrence Egumamhe, who was also travelling home for Christmas with his family in his Mercedes Benz car. Neither Odion nor his friend had an inkling that they would be celebrating Christmas in the den of kidnappers.

Odion, a telecoms engineer in his 40s and cousin to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, and his friend Egumamhe were abducted by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen and kept in captivity for four days before he was released upon payment of ransom by his family members.

Narrating his ordeal, Odion said for four days, his captors denied him and other victims food and water in their den tucked inside a forest. He said the kidnappers later abducted a soldier, following which the gang was busted.

Odion, whose family is based in Benin but works in Anambra State, disclosed that the criminals, who collected his bag containing a huge sum of money amid sporadic gunshots, later obtained a ransom in millions of naira from his relatives before he and Egumamhe regained their freedom around Okpella in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. Having been brutalised and dehumanised in the forest, they also had to trek a long distance towards Okene in Kogi State.

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, Prince Clem Agba, also hails from. I am a cousin to Prince 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 pm the Mercedes Benz 320 car of my bosom friend, Lawrence Egumamhe, an indigene of Agenebode, the headquarters of Etsako East LGA. I sat in 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 herdsmen firing bullets at us from 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 eldest 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. My friend’s wife contacted some of their relatives in Agenebode, who quickly rushed to the scene with some vigilance members. They rescued the children and moved them and the car to the Divisional Police Headquarters at Agenebode, where the children explained to the police what happened and they were moved to the house of their paternal grandmother at Agenebode and later returned to Benin City.”

At the gang’s den inside the forest, Odion and other victims were subjected to torture by the unfeeling kidnappers, who made them trek for hours.

“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 as we moved towards Okene in Kogi State. We begged the kidnappers to allow us to drink even 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 herdsmen wanted to make calls to negotiate a ransom, my friend and I would be forced to join them to climb high mountains for network. “The kidnappers initially demanded N15 million from my people, but it was negotiated. My people in Benin City and Agenebode eventually paid a 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 a hunter and collected his gun. The kidnappers asked my friend and I if we understood Hausa or Fulfude 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 be killed if the ransom was not quickly paid.

“Egumamhe and I were released at 6 pm on December 26, 2021, around Okpella in Etsako East LGA of Edo State. We must always be security conscious and avoid travelling at night. Edo State is not safe, contrary to the claim by Governor Godwin Obaseki and his allies.

“But 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 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 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, 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 who also hails from Igiode in Etsako East LGA ought to have used his influence to strengthen/beef up security in Edo North Senatorial District since he regularly passes through the same road.

“I was later informed that the same nine 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 herdsmen who kidnapped my friend and me.”

A Benin-based legal luminary, Douglas Ogbankwa, who facilitated the interview with Odion, said the governors of the 36 states of Nigeria should judiciously be applying their security votes 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, a prominent member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin Branch, 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.

Contacted for comment, the spokesman of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin, Captain Olayemi Samson Sokoya, only said: “Good afternoon sir. He (Odion) called me. I will call you soon sir.” He, however, had not done so at press time.

Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bello Kontongs, a Superintendent of Police (SP), was also contacted but he had not responded at press time.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required

Intuit Mailchimp