Femi Ashekun/
Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Chukwuemeka Uche, today, recounted his ordeal at the hands of kidnappers.
The Prelate, with the Bishop of Owerri Diocese, Rt. Rev. Dennis Mark, and the Prelate’s chaplain, Very Rev. Jeremiah Shittu, were on Sunday, kidnapped in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State while returning from an event in Imo State.
Narrating his experience at a press conference held at his residence, in Yaba, Lagos, the Prelate said their abductors were Fulani herdsmen.
He also alleged that some Nigerian Army personnel of Fulani extraction were aiding the kidnappers in their activities.
The Prelate said he and his fellow clerics were tortured and threatened with death during the harrowing 24 hours they spent with their captors.
The cleric said the kidnappers showed him decomposing bodies of some past victims.
He also revealed that the government and security agencies played no part in securing their release, adding that they only regained their freedom through the grace of God and the support of Methodist Church members who raised the N100 million ransom demanded by their abductors.
He said, “In order to catch up with my flight at 4pm, we took off by 2pm to go to the airport, oblivious of the fact that kidnappers were waiting on the road.
“As we were descending to Ileru in Abia State, they came out from the bush and divided themselves into three groups. Some people fired at us and there was another group in front to make sure that we didn’t run away; they fired shots at our vehicle and eventually, they abducted three of us.
“The communication man of the church was able to escape, the driver was able to escape; they abducted me, the bishop of Owerri, and my chaplain and they took us to the bush and were torturing us. It was in the process of that torture that I hit my right eye on a tree. Even when blood was flowing and I was soaking my eyes with a handkerchief, they didn’t feel like anything happened.
“All they said was that we should follow them; that they were not actually against Nigerian citizens but against the government, that the government is a bad government.
“They are Fulani boys; all the eight are Fulanis; they said the day they will see the president or any of his representatives, they will chew him raw; that he is their brother but he has disappointed them and has disappointed Nigeria.
”I said even though I am part of the government, I am a churchman am not a government official; they said okay, that is what has saved you, we would have killed you out-rightly without asking for any ransom but now that you are a churchman, let’s go inside the bush.
“We trekked up to 15 kilometers but I knew that we were going through a rigmarole, going up going down, and eventually at 11 pm they said okay now we can negotiate; each of us will pay N50 million and we are going to pay N150 million. I thought it was a joke. I said we were going to pay 10 million and they said what? Don’t say that; they lifted up their knife to cut me, I said please hold on.”
According to the clergy, the leader of the group is about 35 years old while the others are about 18.
He said they took his rings, chain (which they later returned), and the money they had on them and still insisted on N150million ransom.
The clergy said the abductors came down to 100 million ransom, warning them that if they negotiated any further they would be killed.
“I said okay. We will pay you N100 million. After some time, they said: ‘Where is the money? and I said this is Sunday night how can we get money this night; you know that there is this sit at home in Igbo land. We can’t afford the money now. Be patient till morning and we will make contacts.”
He said at a point they lost their patience, laid down Bishop Dennis Mark and raised a knife to cut him, while another pointed a gun at him (Prelate) to show that they were serious.
“They pointed their guns at us. They threatened that if we involved the DSS, police or Army, they would kill us.
“They said down there, there is a gully of seven decomposing bodies and we cut off their heads. We also perceived the odour of killed human beings.
“I told them we will raise the money for you. But the irony of it was that where they were situated, the soldiers were all of Fulani extraction: Nigerian soldiers, they were there at Lomara junction and these boys were going behind them. Meanwhile, they kept their cows somewhere, numbering about 200.”
He said some people were taking care of the cows, while their abductors were taking them around in the bush until they settled down at a place.
“They said when are you bring the money? I said by 12 noon, that I will call the people I’ve contacted to find out whether the money had been raised. I called them and they said that they are still gathering the money and they (kidnappers) heard it, because they said I must use my phone to talk. They said can’t use their phone, because they don’t want to be tracked
“Their leader was born in Igbo land but his parents have died. He said he was born around Umuahia Amuzukwu and his father was a cow dealer. The boy understands Igbo”
He said the leader threatened to kill them if they informed security operatives after they had raised the N100 million.
He said the leader asked them to buy five Ghana-must-go bags and put N20 million in each bag. He said some of them left to pick the ransom, while four others watched over them with guns.
“Around 5.30pm, the youngest boy, who I think is a younger brother to their commander, said: ‘oga congratulations you are free you can go now. We have got our money, you can go. Let me show you the road’.”
“They took us to an old road, where they wrote ‘welcome to Imo’ and ‘goodbye from Abia’.”
“They told us that after buying enough weapons, they are going to bring all those people that were driven away from Zamfara, Katsina, Sambisa Forest, that they are all coming to locate themselves in Igbo land and deal with us.
“He said do you know Ibadan expressway? We are in all the bush there; we are also in the south-south; we are waiting for the slightest signal, we will finish you people and take over this land.” They claimed that Nigeria belongs to Fulani.
The priest maintained that military men of Fulani extraction were aiding the kidnappers who disguised as herders in the daytime but are kidnappers at night.
He called on the government to take decisive action, ‘otherwise what is happening in the north will be child’s play”
On how they picked up the ransom, he said the terrorists came to the pick up spot with a truck without a number plate.
He stated that all efforts made to ensure that he and others were released were solely by the Methodist Church and her members and not by security personnel or the government.
Click the link to watch a video of the interview:
https://www.facebook.com/NewsMakersNGR/videos/973372676560328/?app=fbl
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