A victim of kidnapping, Mrs Adefunke Ale, has narrated her experience when she was kidnapped at Amurin on Akure/Owo Road in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State on her way to Akure.
Ale told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Akure that, she was ambushed by eight suspected kidnappers on October 15, on her way to Akure from Owo.
According to her, she was with her brother, Mr Yemi Ogunmolasuyi, who was driving the car in which they were traveling.
She explained that the kidnappers, who did not cover their faces, were armed with AK-47 rifles.
According to her, the kidnappers said they targeted her in order to collect huge ransom from her son, Mr Akeem Olugosi, living in the United States of America (USA).
“We were waylaid by four kidnappers at Amurin on the road and another set of four kidnappers were at the back of the car.
“They shot at our car and we had to park and all the car doors opened
“Four of them guided me to the bush and another set of four guided my elder brother also to the bush, ” she said
She said that on sighting a mud portion in the bush, she fell flat on the mud because of tiredness.
“They had to drag me and in the process, I sustained some wounds on my legs.
“While being dragged, one of them asked them to carry me and they had already removed my footwear and had taken my bag, which contained many valuables: international passport, driver’s licence, cell phones, national identity card, ATM card and a smaller bag, ” Ale said.
Ale said that motorists plying the road could not wait to render any help to her
She stated that it was some policemen who rescued her and took her to the hospital for medical care.
“I could not stand up and I had to crawl until I reached the roadside.
“There was a heavy traffic hold-up on the road because our vehicle had double-crossed the road, ” she explained.
Ale said that all attempts to ask for help from motorists did not yield any positive result, adding that she was there for almost 30 minutes before some boys came out from the bush opposite the area.
“ I appealed to them to carry me but in the process, policemen arrived and I told them that the kidnappers had taken my brother away and the police said that they would carry me to their station to report.
“When we got to Emure-Ile Police Station, the DPO there asked them to quickly take me to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo ( FMC) for medical treatment, ” she said.
According to her, her brother spent six days with the kidnappers because they initially asked for N100 million as ransom.
Ale appealed to the government at all levels to find a lasting solution to the menace of kidnapping on Nigerian roads.
According to her, she was encumbered by fear to travel since the incident.
