The Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Kanu Uche has narrated his near-death experience in the hands of eight Fulani herders who abducted him and two other – a Bishop and a chaplain – but freed them after paying a ransom of N100 million.
The Prelate, his chaplain, Very Rev. Abidemi Shittu, and the Bishop of Owerri, Rt. Rev. Dennis Mark were all abducted on Sunday along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
Methodist Prelate who recounted his experience to TimeAfrica at Methodist Church, Yaba, Lagos State on Tuesday gave frame-by-frame account of his ugly experience at the kidnappers den.
He said:
“On our way to the airport to catch a flight back to Lagos after a church function in Abia State, a group of young boys, the oldest around 35 years, came out from the bush and ambushed our car. They divided themselves into 3 places; some people fired at us and there was another group in front to make sure that we didn’t run away; they fired shots at our vehicle and eventually, they abducted us.
“They abducted three out of five of us. The driver and communication man of the church was able to escape, while they captured me, the Bishop of Owerri and the Chaplain.
“They led us into the bush and tortured us, during the process, I hit my right eye on the tree and even when blood was flowing and my handkerchief was soaked with blood, they didn’t feel like anything happened. All they were saying is that we should follow them.
“These boys were within 18 years and their leader will be around 35 years. One of them understands English but the others were speaking Fulani not even Hausa. They took all my valuables and money.
“All they said was that we should follow them; that they are not actually against Nigeria citizens that they are against the government, that this government is a bad government. They were all Fulani boys, the eight of them were Fulani boys.
“They are Fulani boys; all the 8 are Fulanis; they said the day they will see the president or any of his representatives they will chew him raw; that he is their brother but he has disappointed them and has disappointed Nigeria.
“I said even though I’m part of the government, I’m a churchman, I’m not a government official; they said okay, that is what has saved you, we would have killed you outright without asking for any ransom but now that you are a churchman, let’s go inside the bush.
“I trekked up for to 15 kilometres but I knew that we were rigmaroling, going up, going down and eventually at 11 pm they said okay now we can negotiate; each of us will pay N50 million and we are going to pay N150 million. I thought it was a joke; I said we were going to pay N10 million and they said what? Don’t say that; they lifted their knife to cut me, I said please hold on.
“I said okay. We will pay you N100 million. After some time, they said where the money is and I said this is Sunday night, how can we get money this night and you know that there is this sit-at-home in Igbo land. We can’t afford the money now, be patient till morning, we will make contacts.
“In the end, they settled for N100 million and said it was not negotiable that if I talk they will kill us and forget the ransom and go ahead to kidnap others.
“They even attempted to kill the Bishop of Owerri and that they will let his blood spilt on me then I will know that they were serious.
“I told them we will raise the money for you. But the irony of it, where they were situated, the soldiers, all of Fulani extraction, Nigerian soldiers, they were there at Lomara junction and these boys were going behind them. Meanwhile, they kept their cows somewhere, numbering about 200.
“I picked my phone and negotiated. I told my people in the church to get the money, somebody said we have raised N30 million, I told SOC, any money in the office transfer it to them, life is more important than money. That was how we raised that money.
“They said ‘when are you bringing the money?’ I said by 12 noon, I will call the people I’ve contacted whether the money had been raised and I called them, they said that they were gathering the money and they heard it because they said I will use my phone to talk, they can’t use their phone, they don’t want to be tracked.
“The kidnappers instructed the church to package the money in five Ghana-must-go bags and make it N20 million in five places.
“During my conversation with their leader, he made it clear to me that he was from Sudan and his parent had died. But they gave birth to him in Igbo land around Umuahia where his late father was a cow dealer.
“They threatened that our people that are bringing the money must not involve security men, that if they do, they will kill us and pointed to a certain area where they dump decomposed bodies of those they have killed.
“Around 5:30, the youngest boy among them said, Oga congratulation, you are free, you can go now, we have got our money, let me show you the road. They took us to an old road where they wrote ‘Welcome to Imo’ and ‘Goodbye to Abia’.
“No government official, Police or Army involved in his release
“This is the time I understand what it means to be kidnapped, for more than 15 hours, with no water or food.
“We were all on the ground inside the bush. If you want to urinate, you need to take instructions.
“All the efforts made to secure my release were by the Methodist Church of Nigeria, not the police or army.
“Some people are spreading rumour that I said IPOB released me. They were trying to bring political colouration into the matter and this is very sad.
“The kidnappers confided in us that the ransom they are collecting was to raise money for weapons. That after buying enough weapons, they are going to bring all those that have been put in disarray at Zamfara, Katsina and Zambiza forest to Igbo land to deal with the people residing there because it belongs to them.
“Their leader said ‘do you know Ibadan expressway? We are in all the bushes there, we are also in the South-South, we are waiting for the slightest signal, we will finish you people and take over this land.’ They claimed that Nigeria belongs to Fulani.”
He appealed to the Nigerian government to act decisively otherwise what is happening in the north will be a child’s play compared with what will happen in the east
He said: “The primary purpose of government is to protect lives and property. Any government that failed in that regards has failed woefully.
“Nigeria is on reverse gear, we are nosediving. These guys are operating within a particular area and security operatives are aware that they are there but failed to act.”
He seized the opportunity to thank all members of the Methodist Church of Nigeria for the love they showed to him during his ordeal, saying: “I don’t know that they love me this much, they showed great love towards me. Thank you all.”
The priest maintained that military personnel of Fulani extraction were aiding the kidnappers who disguise as herders in the daytime but are kidnappers at night.
He said it was the Methodist Church Nigeria and members of the church that made efforts to secure his release and not security agencies of the government.
He said some people were taking care of the cows while the abductors were parading them around the bush until they settled at a place,
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