A kidnap victim, Oluwafemi Oyedepo, has narrated how he prayed for his abductors after the payment of ₦600,000 for his freedom.
Oyedepo, a farmer in Ayete in the Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, was kidnapped on Friday, 23 April 2021 while travelling to a farm in Felele Village alongside two others.
It was gathered that the trio were travelling in a van when they were ambushed by some gunmen in the Konko area, Ibarapa. While his two partners escaped, Oyedepo was not as lucky as the abductors caught up with him and took him into the forest.
The kidnappers initially demanded ₦100m for his freedom but eventually collected ₦600,000.
Narrating his ordeal, Oyedepo said: “I left Ayete town in a van with two other people before 7am. The incident happened around 8am. Some kidnappers came from behind and started shooting. Three others appeared in the front. We quickly came down from the vehicle and tried to escape.
“They chased after us and caught up with me. They said I was their target. We walked inside the bush and slept wherever the night fell. We could feel the presence of the police and vigilantes where they kept me but they warned that if the police attempted to rescue me without paying ransom, they would waste my life.
“It was a bitter experience. They beat me up anytime they wanted to ask something from me. My face got swollen from beating; it was too much. They were cooking rice but I could not eat it.”
The farmer further explained that he was not given water on his first day in the den and had to leak drops of water on leaves on the second day when he became extremely thirsty.
He said the kidnapped in the course of negotiation told his family to say the last prayer for him, adding that the kidnappers “from the language they speak are Fulani.”
He stated, “They eventually collected ₦600,000 ransom. They gave me ₦500 and asked me to pray for them. I prayed for them that they would find favour. They started from N100m and later insisted on ₦5m. I saw it as a favour that they eventually collected ₦600,000 so I prayed that God will favour them. The favour may be death or repentance. I am grateful to God for my life. I have little children and a wife to take care of.
