An Ondo entrepreneur, Olanrewaju Oyeleye, who was kidnapped last week Friday on his way to his farm has recounted the ordeals he suffered in the hands of his abductors.
The entrepreneur who returned from abroad to start farming turned the victim of circumstances when he was kidnapped the very day his wife gave birth to a set of twins.
On his way to his farm located at Abo-Ashakin, Oba-Ile area, near the Akure Airport in Akure North Local Government Area of the Sunshine State, Olanrewaju and his and his farm manager were bundled up after a barrage of gunshots.
Olanrewaju further recounted how a sum of N25m was paid to secure his release. According to him, the money was received by the kidnappers in Ekiti State.
In his words, “They shouted at me to stop but I attempted to reverse. Before I could react further, they opened fire on my car. The gunshots were relentless, I lost count of how many times they fired.
“Realising I could not escape, I eventually surrendered.
“The kidnappers dragged me and my companion into the dense forest, forcing us to walk all night to an unknown location.”
He said he was beaten and battered the moment he revealed that he did not have up to N100m to pay as ransom.
“They used cutlasses on my head and back for days. Every morning, they would start hitting me before they gave me a phone and forced me to call my family members, demanding the money.
“The kidnappers, who referred to themselves as ‘the Mafia’, boasted that they feared no one, not even the military.”
Olanrewaju said he was terrified when his abductors were making calls to various individuals demanding supplies and weapons which were delivered to them inside the forest.
“They don’t operate in isolation. They have a network and godfathers.
“After days of starvation, my captors provided only water once, which was unfit for human consumption. My family managed to negotiate the ransom down to ₦25 million which was delivered to Ise-Ekiti.
“I am now living in fear. Yesterday, as I was heading home, I was terrified. Today, stepping outside, I am still scared. If they could kidnap me in daylight, what could happen at night?”
Olanrewaju said the kidnappers were too emboldened and audacious, urging government at all levels to beef up security across the country.
