The Oniba of Iba community, Oba Goriola Oseni, who regained
his freedom on Saturday, has narrated his traumatic experiences in the
kidnappers’ den. The monarch said he was forced to eat a concoction prepared
with bitter leaves and forced to sleep on the floor while in captivity.
Oba Goriola Oseni |
Oseni told Punch on Sunday that he slept in a shanty built
on water during the 21 days he was in captivity. The traditional ruler said when the negotiation for ransom
initially fell through, the kidnappers forced him to sleep on the floor for
days and exposed him to mosquito bites. He said, “On that Saturday, at about 9pm, I was listening to
news in my bedroom when I heard gunshots.
“When I came into the sitting room, the gunmen were
shouting, ‘This is the king’. I was in shorts and was about to enter a
bathroom. They killed my palace guard, carried me into their speedboat and
drove away into a swamp.
“The kidnappers asked if I had seen them before or we had
done business before and I said no. They told me while driving away that they
were contracted to kill me, but they had changed their mind. They said I should
cooperate with them. I told them they should rather cooperate with me and treat
me like their father.
“The hideout was a shanty built on water. There were about
six shanties on the water. They covered my eyes while we were in the speedboat.
I fainted at a point, but they still dragged me.
“When we got there, they allowed me to take my bath. On
Sunday, they assured me that they would take me back to the palace. Around 5pm
on the third day, they called my family members. They were Ijaw youths; they
spoke the language and prepared bitter leaf concoctions, which we ate. “Any time they brought up the matter of ransom and my family
members begged them, they would start arguing in the shanty. They would carry
guns and start threatening me. But their boss instructed them not to manhandle
me.”
Goriola said after the first ransom was paid, the gang split
into two and a fresh ransom was demanded by the new group. He said, “My children paid the first ransom. The ringleaders
among the kidnappers spent the money and did not share it with the other
members and they became angry. One of the ringleaders said he was going to the
city and asked what he should buy for me. I asked for sausage roll. I did not
know he was running away.
“On the second week, about 12 gunmen showed up and said they
would now start a fresh negotiation. They said if my children did not
cooperate, they would abandon me in the creek and run away. They maltreated me
and made me sleep on the floor. They removed the mattress and the bedspread.”
The monarch explained that the kidnappers brought out idols
and made him swear he didn’t have more money than he claimed.
He said, “When they eventually got both ransoms, they asked
me to go. They brought me in a speedboat. When they heard one of them had been
arrested by the police, they said they would take me back to the creek and I
persuaded them not to, saying I would tell the police to release the suspect;
they agreed. “When they got halfway, they said the boat was faulty and
asked me to find a canoe for myself. I found one by the bush and got into it. I
paddled myself to the land.
“When I came to an expressway, I saw some youths playing
football. They seemed not to know who I was. I asked them which way was to the
king’s house. When I crossed the road, some youths saw me and ran to embrace
me.
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