Sowore: Widow Narrates How She Escaped from Kidnappers

Adibe Emenyonu

One of the kidnapped victims who escaped from his captors in Okada, Edo State, Mrs. Emmanuella Anyanwu, yesterday recounted how she maneuvered her way to freedom

Anyanwu, who said she was travelling to Imo State for the burial of her husband before the unfortunate event, was among the five people abducted by suspected herdsmen on Benin-Ore-Shagamu highway, which resulted in the killing of Felix Olajide Sowore, younger brother the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowere, last Saturday.

Giving a vivid account of what actually happened while speaking with journalists at the state Police Command in Benin-city, she said: “On Friday, we were coming from Lagos to the eastern region, and our vehicle broke down around Okada in the outskirts of Benin-city. We passed the night in the vehicle. At about 6:30 a.m. to 7:00a.m., some men came out from the bush shooting at us so we surrendered.

“They took our belongings, including our phones, and matched us into the bush. It took us almost two hours to get to their camp. They blind folded us. So they started calling us one after the other, and I was the last person they called. They asked me where I was coming from and where I was going. I told them that I was coming from Lagos and going to Imo State for my husband’s burial.

“They asked how many children do I have, I told them two, and I also told them that I sell groundnut in Lagos. They asked if I was the one providing the money to bury my husband, and I told them his brother will do that. They also wanted to know what my sister does, and I told them she sells bread in the
village.”

They asked if I know them, I said no. They asked if I know the police and army, I told them I know them.

“They told me they were kidnappers and said they abducted me because of ransom. They said if I don’t have money they will take my life. I asked them how much they wanted. But one of them was furious that I was asking them questions. I told them I needed to know the ransom. They asked if I had N10million, and I told them there was no way to get that kind of money. I told them I will give them N500, 000 from the money gathered from my village. One of them said I was a fool, and they told me to sit down.”

At this point, the widow said it started raining heavily, which forced their abductors to leave them for a while before reappearing with another man, adding that it was at this point she hashed the plan to escape.

She continued: “Then it started raining heavily and they went away and brought another man. So they took something from the man and all their attention was on it. So I remove my blind fold and decide to escape but I decided to shelf the plan till midnight. But my intuition told me to escape because I would not have the opportunity to do so in the night because the abductors don’t sleep in the night. I crept and that was how I escaped.

“I saw a mast far away and I started trekking toward it. After one hour or more I got to a road and saw an elderly man on motorcycle and I asked him to take me to the police station, which he did.”

According to the Imo State-born lady, “We were two ladies and three men when they kidnapped us,” adding that she believes those that kidnapped them are Fulani people, because on that same Saturday afternoon, they released their cow and came to where they were held captive.

She added: “They were very aggressive, and warned us not to look at their faces and not to talk to one another. They were beating the men but spared the women. I only sustained the wounds on my body when I was trying to find my way out of the bush,” adding that they were not even aware that someone was killed during the kidnap operation, though the kidnappers were shooting sporadically at any vehicle that they came across during operation.

He explained that the security measures taken by the state government would affect residents economically, but it was necessary in order to restore normalcy and stop bandits and their collaborators from having access to communication and other means of livelihood.

The governor said: “We believed this and other further measures that we are taking with the Federal Ministry of Communication would also help in restoring normalcy to our respective communities.

“Further instructions and directives affecting Funtua, Malumfashi and Bakori Local Government Areas are coming today (Monday). We have to restrict the sale of fuel in these areas as well. And we are looking at the possibility of curbing further communication in these local government areas.

“The security measures taken by the state government might hurt residents economically, but it is necessary to take this now to restore sanity and prevent these bandits and their collaborators from getting free access to communication and other means of livelihood.”