Jonathan Eze
Journalists were, last Thursday, told how two sisters abducted by a gang of kidnappers, in Lagos, used a piece of paper and a sachet of water to plot their escape, after spending 25 days in the custody of their abductors.
The victims, Nchedo, 20 and Chidinma, 21, spent those 25 harrowing days under
harsh conditions. They were deprived of the basic needs they enjoyed in the comfort of their home. Freedom eluded them. They were closely watched by their captors, who demanded forty million naira ransom for their freedom.
On the other hand, the trio of Patrick Igwe, still at large, Sunday Ekwunife and Chimezie Akana, must have concluded that the quickest and most popular way to be rich in the country, today, was through kidnapping. Hence, on September 10, in Festac Town, Lagos, they perfected a plan to kidnap Nchedo and Chidinma.
The sisters were coming from a drycleaning shop in the neighbourhood, aroud 5:00 pm, when they were waylayed by the three and abducted, at gun point.
They were, subsequently, blindfolded and taken an unknown destination, which was later discovered to be a house in Victoria Estate, Iba, in Ojo local government area, where they spent 25 days in captivity, before they were rescued by the police.
He stated: “On September 2, this year, a three-man gang accosted two sisters, Chidinma and Nchedo, at 7th avenue, Festac Town, forced them into their car and took them to a house in Victoria Estate, at Iba.
“They kept them there for 25 days, during which they were maltreated, fed sparingly and dehumanised. During this period, no one knew their whereabouts, until one of them managed to scribble a SOS (Save Our Soul) on a piece of paper and threw it through the window, alongside a full sacchet of water, to attract the attention of passersby.
“Fortunately for them, a good Samaritan, saw the piece of paper and contacted the police, who stormed the location to rescue them.”
Jinadu also used the occasion to advice the public “to always report strange faces and movements in their neighborhood to the police and to be security conscious,” while sending a warning to would-be kidnappers to think twice, because the police were prepared for them.
Narrating their ordeal, Chidinma stated: “It was on September 2nd that my sister, Nchedo and I came out in the evening to buy a few things and also collect our clothes from the laundry. But, a vehicle suddenly blocked our path and one of the three men inside pointed a gun at us and ordered us to enter.
“They, then, covered our eyes with clothes and drove us to the place they kept us for 25 days, before we were rescued. While we were there, they beat us and fed us poorly, sometimes, once a day or once in two days. But, we kept praying that they would not kill us.”
On how the police knew where they were kept, Chidinma said that on the third day of their abduction, she found a piece of paper on which she wrote about the danger they were in and the need for whoever found it to contact the police immediately.
She, then, kept the note until the right opportunity came along,
She further recalled: “On that faithful day, when I heard the footsteps of somebody passing closely by the house, I decided it was the right opportunity to throw a sachet of water they had given us to drink, along with the note. I threw the sacchet of water first and followed with the piece of paper. Luckily for us, the person read the note and called the police, who came to set us free.”
The suspects cofessed to the crime, but claimed they did not kidnap their victims for a ransom, rather, wanted to use them to force their (victims’) uncle, Peter Kanayo, to repay an undisclosed amount he owed one of them.
They also denied assaulting or violating their victims.
They claimed to have taken very good care of them throghout the period they spent in their custody.
Kanayo, however, denied the suspects’ claim, vowing that he had never seen any of them before in his life.
Recounting his own experience, Kanayo said: “ I don’t know them at all. I have never met them before and if they will be sincere, they too don’t know me. They kidnapped my cousins and called my telephone line to demand N40 million naira ransom for them. It was my wife that was negotiating with them. After two weeks, they reduced the amount to N10 million. But, I was determined not to succumb to their threats. All we did was to report the incident to the police and continued praying fervently.”
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