According to a recent report, one young man identified as Idowu Ajayi, who was kidnapped by gunmen along Ikole-Ijesa Isu road on March 14, has recounted his experience in the hands of the terrorists aka gunmen.

Narrating how he fell into the hands of the terrorists who kidnapped him to newsmen, Ajayi said he was on his way to Ijesha Isu from Ikole to help his mother to carry some farm produce by the roadside. On his way back after picking the goods, he said he was ambushed by at least six gunmen who were lurking around a bad portion of the road.

Ajayi said when he got to the pothole, he had to slow down. As he applied the brake, he said the gunmen shot his car tyre and before he knew what happened, two armed men had emerged from the bush. 

He said the ones who came out of the bush were different from those who shot his car tyre from behind. They approached him and ordered him to get out of the car and started beating him. He added that they shot sporadically in the air to stop other vehicles from coming. 

He said they took him into the bush alongside the 14-year-old girl he had offered a ride. The police came to the area but they left when they could not see them. He said if the police had reinforced immediately and search everywhere, they might have found them. 

Ajayi said he was told to contact his people via a phone provided for him. They demanded N30 million ransom from his people and urged them to comply as they told them that they are members of the Boko-haram terrorist group.  

They told him that the major reason why they stopped him was because of the ‘big car’ they saw him driving. They did not stop other commercial vehicles ahead of him, as they were attracted to his car, Toyota Sienna.

In a conversation with one of the abductors, Ajayi said he was told that they use all the ransom they collect from people to buy ammunitions. The gunman added that they would teach all those insulting ‘Sai Baba’ a lesson. 

Ajayi said one of them also told him that his people are delaying them because they still have much assignment left to do. He said they spoke as if they were given target on the amount to make per week. He was eventually set free after his family paid N2.5 ransom to the abductors.