- ‘Police said no vehicle, weapons to pursue abductors when my family reported’
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
A Pastor at Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun, Iwo in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oluwatobi Innocent Omotosho, who was kidnapped and later freed, has narrated his ordeals in the den of his abductors.
Suspected gunmen on the night of Friday, June 23, 2023, attacked LAOP-Dam Global, a filling station at Sabaja area of Iwo community in the council and kidnapped its manager, security guard and Omotosho who was returning home after a 21-day crusade in his church.
The gunmen, it was gathered, attacked the filling station at about 9:00 pm while it was raining and led their victims into the bush.
Omotosho, while recounting his ugly experience said that the gunmen were shooting sporadically during the operation and that while leading them into the bush, they shot anyone on sight.
According to him, one Chief of Sabaja community, identified as Chief Raphael Adewuyi, was killed by a stray bullet in his room.
He said after their kidnap, his family members ran to Iwo Police station to report the incident but the policemen on duty informed them that they had no weapon or functional vehicle to pursue the criminals.
The cleric said, “We were holding a 21-day crusade and when we were through with the programme, it was raining that night, the youths we were working together with assisted in packing the equipment we used. Afterwards, I used an umbrella to lead them to their houses.
“I was returning to my house and there is a filling station close to my house, as I was trying to follow the light in order to get the path to my house, suddenly, some men who were carrying guns stormed out of a bush opposite the filling station and pointed their guns at me. Before I could escape, they were close and I had to throw away the umbrella I was holding and surrendered.
“They also abducted the security guard and manager of the filling station. They took us inside a bush beside the station. The kidnappers were shooting everyone they saw on our way. I was hearing gunshots as we were moving into the bush.
“There was a man who was hearing the sounds of our footsteps and the remarks of the kidnappers, he decided to use his torchlight to see what was happening, the kidnappers shot at his window. It was after our return that we heard they killed him and he is Chief Adewusi,” the cleric narrated.
He continued, “We started the journey into the bush. The kidnappers were six in number and four of them were carrying guns while the other two clinched clubs. When we got into the thick part of the bush, one of them asked if we understood the Hausa language, I said no, that I only understood Yoruba and he started speaking Yoruba to us telling us that they kidnapped us in order to get money from us. They threatened to kill us if we didn’t give them money.
“The leader of the kidnappers said each of us should bring N30 million. We were shocked and started begging them that we have no such amount. They asked me what I do for a living, I said I am pastor and asked the manager also, he answered. They asked him how much is his salary, he said N12, 000.”
Omotosho, who showed the scars he sustained all over his body due to beatings, revealed that the kidnappers strangled the security guard to death in order to compel them from raising the ransom.
“While we were still begging them to reduce the ransom, their leader asked the security guard to lie down and he used a thick shoe lace to strangle him to death before us. So, one of them who speaks Yoruba told us to get them money if we don’t want to be killed also. We told them we have no money. We continued the journey in the forest without shoes. At one point, we told them we had got some money and they asked us how much, we said we have N500, 000. They told us they will kill us if we don’t mention millions of naira to them. They beat us with sticks. I have sore and scars all over my body. We drink water from streams and they also give us cooked maize gotten from people’s farms. Those were what sustained us.
“After so many pleas, they said both of us should pay N5 million. Our people ran around and got the money. They asked them to get a Hausa interpreter who would bring the money to the Oro Ago area. After getting the money, they released us and showed us the path to follow to get out of the bush. They gave me N1, 000 and also gave the manager N1, 000. They gave us torchlight too in order to see our way out of the bush in the wee hours. They collected one carton of milk, one carton of malt, two cartons of cigarettes from my family members in addition to the N5 million ransom,” the cleric added.
Meanwhile, reacting to the allegation that the policemen on duty in the community were helpless when report of the abduction reached them, the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, Okasanmi Ajayi denied, saying that the force has weapons and other logistics to combat crime.
Ajayi said the police, in collaboration with local hunters, made efforts to rescue the victims, adding that the police were not aware that any ransom was paid to the gunmen.
“We don’t have the premonition that such an incident will happen that night; that was why when they reported that night, nothing was done. When I later heard of the incident, I had to call the DPO and OC, Anti-Kidnapping. We were not aware of the ransom paid because the family of the victims didn’t tell us,” he said
The traditional ruler of the community, Oba Tunde Olutade, bemoaned the attacks and killings, saying the local security agents had been empowered to forestall future occurrence.
“We have empowered our hunters and vigilantes. They were the ones who were combing the bush when the incident happened. We need to ensure that strangers don’t come into our community and attack us again,” the monarch assured.
