BY EVELYN ARAWOMO
For quite sometime now, Nigerians have been faced with series of insecurity challenges, among them are abductions and kidnappings of innocent citizens for rituals or exploitative purposes .
Unfortunately, some victims are not lucky to tell the story while the few who were fortunate to get released told horrible stories.
This was the case of 52yrs old Mrs Oluwatoyin Falade kidnapped for five days alongside other passengers after boarding a taxi in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
She shared her experiences with Evelyn Arawomo.
According to Data from the Nigeria security Tracker, about five thousand people were Abducted in 2022.
On Monday, 26th June,2023, a resident of Ajipowo in Akure, Pastor Mrs Oluwatoyin Falade fell victim on her way to the market within Akure metropolis and all she could remember was getting into a taxi.
By the time she regained consciousness, she and three other victims including a nursing mother discovered themselves in the thick forest in an unknown place.
Mrs Falade said she and the other victims suffered untold hardship , spending days in the bush under harsh weather condition, bitten by different kinds of insects and mosquitoes, assaulted physically and dispossessed of all valuables while one victim got shot for not cooperating.
While in the forest , their abuductors only gave them a sachet of water and biscuits probably to keep them alive.
Lucky not to be sexually abused, the victims spent days with the kidnappers who seemed confused about what to do with them as there were no communication with the families for ransom whatsoever indicating they were kidnapped for rituals.
Miraculously on the 6th day, Mrs Falade and the other nursing mother were matched out of the forest, leaving out the other two men victims and dropped off on a road near Gbagi market in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Those who dropped them on the Gbagi market road gave them #3000 each to find their way back home.
Mrs Falade who was all praises to God said it was the mercy of God that saved her and pleaded that government restore the stop and search by security agencies especially on inter state routes.
On his part, the husband, Rev Peter Falade who said he went through trauma during the whole saga explained that the family contacted the police which tracked his wife’s phone to Ikire in Osun State.
While expressing gratitude to God for his wife’s miraculous return, Reverend Falade appealed to government to quickly find lasting solution to increasing insecurity in the country.
Radio Nigeria contacted the PRO, Ondo State Police Command, Mrs Funmi Omisanya who said Mrs Falade case file could no longer be traced and so she was not aware of it.
Thankfully, Mrs Falade had a narrow escape but many other victims are not so lucky.