Hearing the story of kidnapped people for ritual purposes or for a
ransom is disturbing and many just thank God it isn’t them and pray
against it.
The truth however is that with dangerous elements that carry
out these dastardly acts roaming freely amongst us, everyone is at
risk. Here is the story of a young man, Timothy Lawani, 25, a trader at
Suleja roundabout area, who was kidnapped for ritual purpose but
survived the ordeal.
Lawani, in an interview with LEADERSHIP
Weekend, said it was God that saved him after he was kidnapped, tied up
and was to be sacrificed in Kano.
The incident happened at about
4am on January 14, 2015. Lawani went outside his family house at Old
Barracks, Suleja to ease himself, when suddenly he heard someone call
his name. Walking towards a red Volkswagen Golf parked behind his house,
he was surprised to see an old friend, Friday, comfortably seated in
the car beckoning on him with two hefty men.
Narrating his story,
Lawani said, “In my confused state, I greeted them. One of them held me
and the other sprayed a powder on my face. That was the last thing I
could remember. I later saw myself in a very large hall with other young
men who were tied up. The kidnappers kept bringing other people to join
us. Sometimes, they even offered us food to eat which we all refused.
They then said, whether we ate or not, we would die after all.
“After
two days, we were made to put on white apparels and join a queue. I
noticed that anyone who goes out never comes back; I was so scared. When
it was my turn, I went outside, saw a large pool of water like swimming
pool and a man standing by the side chanting incantations. He later
ordered the guards to take me inside that they were not in need of
someone like me.”
Continuing, Lawani said, “In my presence, the
man called on Friday who came about 40 minutes later. After telling him
that I was not acceptable for their rituals, Friday started flogging me
mercilessly. He then ordered the men to take me out, but not before the
ritualist got angry, and ordered the hefty men to bring Friday for
sacrifice in my place. I heard him beg them to give him just 30 minutes
to enable him bring another person, but the man said there was no time.
“With
Friday’s hands and legs tied, the man began chanting incantations
again. This time, I saw crocodiles coming out of the water. Friday was
then thrown inside, the reptiles feasted on him. I was not myself
because of the sight of blood and how such large reptiles ate up a whole
human being. The man later ordered the men to throw me out, that I was
useless to them. They sprayed a powder on my face again and I became
unconscious.’’
On how he got back to his senses, Lawani recalled
that he was sheltered by a Hausa man who saw him wandering in Gomoja
area of Kano State.
After prayers were offered for him for about
three days, he regained consciousness but could not speak. It was then
he wrote down his father’s phone number which he easily remembered and
with which they used to reach his family, that had been searching
frantically for him.
LEADERSHIP Weekend later learnt from his
elder brother, Theophilus Lawani, that his friend sold him to the
kidnappers for N150,000. Theophilus further revealed that before the
Hausa man called them from Kano, Lawani’s friend sent them several
messages, telling them to forgive him for selling his friend.
“Even
before we got the text from Friday, we reported the case at A division
Police Station in Suleja, but the Policemen demanded the sum of N70,000
in order to start investigation. Since we do not have such amount, we
resorted to prayers, and God answered us. We have decided to take my
brother for further prayers in Kaduna,” Theophilus stated.
All
efforts by LEADERSHIP Weekend to speak with the Divisional Police
Officer (DPO) of A Division was futile as it was referred to the Public
Relations Officer (PRO) at the headquarters in Minna. Meanwhile, a
Police officer who pleaded anonymity, said there have been several
incidents of kidnapping within and outside the state, but the police
have tried to curtail the rate by investigating and arresting suspects.
Giving
tips on how people could prevent themselves from being kidnapped, he
said, “People need to be wary anywhere they are. An isolated target is
easier to pick up. It is better for people to be strengthened by being
in groups. Hostage takers would have to work harder to kidnap members of
a group than to kidnap an individual. People should also try to
promptly report any kidnap case around them to the nearest police
station.”
According to a security expert, Bashir Wole, people
should be very cautious whenever they come in contact with any stranger.
“People ought to become more alert and discerning to protect themselves
from being kidnapped. Government also needs to do more in terms of
detecting, arresting and punishing kidnappers, such that the severity of
the punishment would deter others from engaging in such.
“There
must be enforcement and punishment that can deter people from going into
kidnapping. If people are punished, maybe by capital punishment, others
would conclude that it is not worth it. The criminal justice system
must work. The reason kidnapping is lucrative in Nigeria is impunity;
people think they can do it and get away with the crime. The fear of the
grievous punishment should be such that will keep people from further
committing the crime.”
The general public is advised to heed to
advice from security experts and the Police by being alert and security
conscious to avoid timothy’s experience. We should all learn to be
security conscious wherever we goes.