How I escaped from kidnappers’ den in Kwara – Female victim

A 40-year-old female victim of kidnappers in Kwara State, Funmilayo Olatunji, has recounted her miraculous escape from the den of kidnappers.

Funmilayo, who was abducted alongside two others, luckily escaped from the kidnappers barely hours after her abduction.

The three victims were abducted two weeks ago on Sunday at Eju town near Obbo-Ile, in Ekiti Local Government of the state.

According to Funmilayo in an interview with TRACKNEWS in Ilorin on Sunday, “we were seated outside the house with one Pastor Tope of the Winners Church, at about 7am, when four gunmen approached us asking if they could get cigarettes to buy.

“I responded by telling them, we don’t sell cigarettes and suddenly they brought out their AK-47 rifles.

“Immediately, I dropped my headphone under the chair I was sitting, with my handbag, but they were able to carry my handbag which contained some personal items.”

“Just as the drama unfolded, another victim, a 20-year-old female called Blessing Jacob, strayed in and the three of us were abducted at gunpoint and marched into an unknown forest amid torture,” she added.

Funmilayo, disclosed that when they got to the forest, the gunmen then requested a ransom of N10m from each of the three victims.

She said, “They enquired if I have parents and family who could be called to come to the rescue. I then asked Pastor Tope to call my husband and mother to inform them, but was not successful.

“When my husband was reached at last, they demanded N30m for the release of the three captives.

“At about 1.40am after walking for several hours through the forest, I started praying to God to set us free.

“An opportunity opened up for us to escape but Pastor Tope rejected the attempt and so I left them.

“In the course of my long trek in the bush, I came across one operator called Abraham, who told me to go straight toward Ona-Ora and not to branch anywhere again, from where a vigilante member picked me up,” she narrated.

She said the matter was reported to the police at Osi town but no action had been taken till the time of this report.

Funmilayo further disclosed that the kidnappers later demanded ransom from the families of the remaining two victims, who eventually were forced to pay N200,000 for their release four days after their abduction.

“They also collected tramadol tablets and packets of cigarettes as part of the condition to secure their release,” she added.

She identified the kidnappers as Fulani Bororo who spoke English and Yoruba languages fluently.

Efforts to reach the spokesman of the state police command, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, in Ilorin on Sunday proved abortive