A few weeks ago, a building contractor based in Ikorodu, Lagos, Alhaji Alaka Kamaldeen, 46, had a harrowing experience.
Kamaldeen was standing outside his
office on Aug. 24, 2012 when an Audi car with four passengers suddenly
pulled up close to him. The occupants were armed with guns. Without
saying a word, they pounced on him.
The strangers slapped Kamaldeen in the face and dragged him into the idling car.
“It happened so fast that witnesses were
temporarily paralysed with fear. One of the boys even wore a
bullet-proof vest in the manner of policemen. In fact, initially I
thought they were policemen.
“They warned me not to say anything as it might be used against me in a court of law. I wasn’t even blindfolded. Although I was surprised and worried, it wasn’t until we got to Itoki junction that I suspected something was amiss,” Kamaldeen said.
Instead of heading to a police station,
the vehicle conveying the ‘policemen’ and their captive veered off the
road and drove into the bush. When Kamaldeen panicked and dared to ask
where he was being taken, he was soundly beaten again. This confirmed
his fears that he had just been kidnapped.
“I began to scream for help. Although we
were approaching the seaside and there was more sand than grass, my
captors tried to increase the speed of the vehicle. Unfortunately for
them, the car sank into the sand and we got stuck. I continued to scream
and a crowd began to gather. When my captors could no longer stand it,
they got out of the car and shot into the air. The crowd quickly
dispersed within seconds and my captors came out and pushed the car.
“They started the car again, drove as
close to the creeks as they could get and began calling a contact for a
boat immediately we got there,” Kamaldeen said.
While they waited for the boat,
Kamaldeen’s captors descended on him, beating him mercilessly. The
registration plates of the vehicle were removed and Kamaldeen was doused
with fuel. The kidnappers threatened to set him ablaze. Not long
afterwards, a speed boat came by and they all entered it. There were
about 10, 100-litre jerry cans, possibly containing fuel for the eight
hour journey to Warri, Delta State, in the boat.
“At about 8 pm, we came across another
set of guards. These ones were dressed in police uniforms. An hour
later, we ran into yet another bunch of guards dressed in army uniforms.
It was a frightening journey. There were thick forests on either side
of the river all the way from Ikorodu to Delta State.
“By the time we got to the last sentry
post late that night, my captors raised their hands, guns and legs in
response. I was chained to the boat. I couldn’t move a muscle. The
security man at the camp waved us through by flashing his torchlight.
“I was taken into the camp, which was a
big clearing surrounded by many huts. The huts contained many kidnap
victims. I was brought before the head of the kidnappers, who was
dressed in a suit and queried me as regards my occupation. He was
unimpressed when he discovered I was neither a captain of industry nor a
politician but just an ordinary citizen. I was then taken to a section
of the camp suitable for my station in life and passed the night on a
bed made of logs of wood,” Kamaldeen recalled.
The camp itself was like a scene out of a
movie. Many young men armed with sophisticated weapons guarded the
camp. Kamaldeen’s captors had earlier boasted that the camp was
impenetrable as the syndicate had on several occasions attacked military
installations and looted them.
The next day, Kamaldeen’s captors
contacted his family with his phone and demanded a ransom of N150m. By
the next day, the ransom was reduced to N70m and two days later, to
N30m.
Despite all their efforts, Kamaldeen’s
family was only able to raise N5m. Frightened that he would be killed as
the kidnappers had threatened, Kamaldeen pleaded with his captors to
release him, promising to send more money if he was released.
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