THE KIDNAP BY OGUNDAUNSI AYODEJI JEFFERY

THE KIDNAP He was profusely shaking, he had to wee on his trouser like a kid. He could not bear the thought of dying at a tender age (barely a week after his 22nd birthday). Just as he was led through the bush paths, a lot of thoughts flashed across his mind. Death seems imminent- death was lingering! His parents and co-travelers thought he had escaped into the nearby bush as everyone tried to scamper for safety. They were all lying down, with their faces to the ground when they (abductors) took him away; he couldn’t drop a farewell message. When he had arrived the first destination in the company of his abductors, he was thinking of what would have become of his parents; his mother especially. At that time, he had no thought of his own. The night falls, his abductors were yet to speak a word, he became tensed, he would like to escape but there seems no way. Just as he was deep in thoughts, he heard a voice: “aboki, stand up”. It was at this point that he confirmed to himself that he had actually fallen into the hands of the Fulanis. He stood up- losing balance; missing his steps. “Sidown” they first man said, “shey you wan die or you wan go house”, the man added. Just before he replied him, he tried to raise his head, then he got a hit from another man. He could now confirm for himself that there were three men squatting beside him, he made them realize how much he had missed his people within the short-while and that he wants to go home. “Na money fit carry you commot for here, shey I dey hear me?” the oga said. They asked him a few questions to know if his parents were financially buoyant. He disappointed them by informing them how poor his parents were, they threatened to kill him and regardlessly placed a price tag of five million Naira for his ransom.

At the dead of the night when he thought it was time to rest, they called them (himself and the co abductee). They all began a trek that seems “lifelong”, he was tired but could not rest, he trekked through the swamp,river and through the thick forest to get to their final destination. Although, before they got there, they had gone to a farm to get tubers of yam. When they got to a place of “rest”, the abductors (five) made a fire and they roasted some tubers. He was famished, all he had in him was just some slice of bread and tea before he journeyed on that Saturday morning. Surprisingly, he got nothing from his abductors, he had to sleep on “empty-belly”. Sleeping in such a thick forest was never near his imaginations, hearing different animals make sound scared him the most. He could not sleep all through the night because of the fear of being consumed by a wild animal. He bore the thought of running away that night when he felt his abductors were asleep. He tried to translate it into a reality, he stood up and took few steps, then a light shone from behind, and some words followed: “if you try run,ehn, I go shoot your head”. He then muttered few words (stammering): “O-ff-icer, I,I… just wan piss”, then he went back to lie down, breathing heavily with a depth of fear in him. “Officer” was the name given to them by the Baba (the name they called the man) that was abducted alongside with him. On the following day, they all wandered like nomads, he was weak, yet he couldn’t talk and he dare not raise his head to look them in the eye. Later in the evening, his parents were contacted, he spoke to them to confirm that he isn’t dead. His father received with shock the amount to be paid for ransom, he kept pleading but that wouldn’t help, as they hung up. At this time, all hope seemed lost as he knew in his mind that getting five million Naira within twenty-four (24) hours doesn’t appear feasible. He started to seek for the forgiveness of his sins, he became “a friend of God” at the point of death. He kept on seeking for grace too and he made vows to God for his release. In the dead of the night, the two weak abductees were fed with a small yam, dirty water to drive it down. What a miserable life! In this situation, he then got to know the value of life and freedom. The two men were tied to a tree at nights and loosened in the day. He lived this way for five days and four nights. However, the height of his anguish was on the fourth day, when the duo was seriously bashed, folded and tied to a stake, turned upside down on a tree for some time. His head was heavy, he cried out in pains but got hit on his back with a thick log. He was then relieved of the pain after a while. Till the time of writing this piece, he has a swollen back and feels excruciating pain in his right shoulder. He suffered a great deal and tries to help himself get over the trauma through psychotherapy. Living with armed men was enough fear; pulling triggers, dagger and so much. Fears and anxiety filled his mind on the fourth night; it is either he dies or he goes home the second day. That evening, all his parents had raised was three hundred thousand short of a million naira (seven hundred thousand Naira). “Tomorrow is the deadline”; that was what his heart kept breathing. Lo and behold, ten o’clock on Wednesday morning, they ransom was complete. His father came to airport road, Akure with two million Naira to pay for the two abductees. He’d come with the ransom raised by the other man’s family. He was delayed but the boys were finally released at 6:00 pm that day. His father must have been so scared, it was more like a gamble. At few minutes past 7 that evening, after journeying through the forest, they had a warm embrace, amidst tears of joy. Surely, he had learnt his lessons and had determined to live his life with the belief that death could come at any time. He had also learn to relate well with everyone; those he does not have a good rapport with were amongst those that raised his ransom. Truly, one should live as if he might not wake the following day. It was an experience to always remember for the poor boy! Ogundahunsi Ayodeji S. Kidnap victim