Breaking News : Lucky Lady Escapes From Money Ritualists
Posted by admin on 2007/6/15 16:54:45 (1053 reads)
By Oluwole Adeboye

Last Monday was a day Amusa, 24, a tailor, would never forget in her life. It was the day she saw hell in the hands of kidnappers but God in His infinite mercy brought her out alive to be able to tell her story to the world. Narrating her ordeal in the hands of kidnappers to detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department, (SCID) Panti, Yaba, Lagos on Wednesday, Amusa, an indigene of Cross River State, who resides in Makoko, Yaba, Lagos said she boarded a commuter bus popularly called danfo en route to Mile 12 at Adekunle Bus Stop, Yaba at about 3:00p.m not knowing that the occupants were kidnappers.

“I entered the bus along with six others, five females and a man. I did not know that it belonged to kidnappers. Few minutes later, the driver of the bus diverted to another route and when we complained, the driver said he was running away from some armed robbers trailing the bus.

“The driver was taking different street corners to escape from the so-called armed robbers until we found ourselves along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Then he took us into a thick forest in Ibafo, Ogun State, where we saw six hefty men holding sophisticated guns with charms all over their bodies.

“The kidnappers shouted at us to come down from the vehicle and our hands and legs were bound.

“I heard the armed men discussing with the driver whether we were okay for the money-making ritual. One of them actually confirmed that we would be used for money making.

“They asked for my name and I said Mary. One of them asked if I didn’t have another name and I said I didn’t. Before then, they had collected our mobile phones and the money on us.

“God eventually helped me to escape last Thursday. My escape was made possible when, at about 5:00 p.m., the only man among us said he wanted to go to the toilet. Two of the ritualists accompanied him, but suddenly we heard sporadic gun shots from nowhere and they (ritualists) became afraid. They thought the police were after them and they fled.

“The only man among us came and loosened the rope on me and told me to flee, that he would also go. I started running. I was confused, I didn’t know where I was running, but luckily I ran into an elderly hunter with grey hair. I explained my plight to him and he led me to Ibafo bus-stop along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. I pleaded with a phone operator to assist me make phone call to a neighbour in Lagos, since I knew the number off hand.

“At exactly 9:00 a.m., my elder brother and a sister of mine arrived and I was taken home to my parents at 11:00 p.m.”

When asked if she knew the whereabouts of others, she said: “I do not know of anything, I am only sure that I escaped.

When asked if she could lead the police detectives at Panti to the place, she said, “No, no, no., I wouldn’t be able to locate the place but I know it was Ibafo bus stop. I am grateful to Almighty God,” she said.

As at the time of filing this report, Amusa was still receiving treatment at a private hospital in Lagos while detectives have commenced investigation into the matter.