Several days after Ngozi`s death, I received a call from a friend who lives in Port-Harcourt. He had called to express his sympathies, but by the end of our lengthy conversation, our roles got switched. I became the sympathizer.
One sunny afternoon just the week before, his aged parents had left their hometown to pay a visit to the Governor of the state. Half way to their destination, they received word that the meeting had been rescheduled. On getting back to the village, they decided to attend a meeting at the church before heading home. Several kilometers to their destination, on a long stretch of road marked with pot-holes, their car was suddenly blocked by a black SUV which seemed to appear out of nowhere. Their driver of eight years narrowly missed running into it. He expertly swerved the car to the left and into a ditch filled with debris. Four able-bodied men dressed in outfits similar to police uniforms sprang out and ordered the couple out at gun point. One of them struck the frightened woman on the face to rouse her out of her shock-induced unresponsiveness as the others ordered the driver to run into the nearby bushes. He then proceeded to drag her alongside her husband out of the car and into the back seat of the dusty SUV. The four men got in after them and the car sped off in the opposite direction leaving behind a trail of reddish brown dust. Several minutes later, the terrified driver came out of the bushes and drove straight to the church to inform the parishioners who in turn alerted the police.
Two days later, the anxious family received a call from a man claiming responsibility for the abductions. His demand was the sum of N15 Million in exchange for their release. They immediately relayed this information to the police who advised them to comply with the demands.
Four days after, still no closer to gathering such a large sum of money, the abductors called to inform them that the woman was feeling poorly and that being diabetic needed her medication. Also, that out of the goodness of their hearts, they had reduced the sum to N13 Million. The desperate family pleaded with them that all they could come up with was N1.8 Million. The two sides haggled till the sum of N6 Million was agreed upon. The family informed close friends and relations and at the end of the day was able to come up with the agreed sum.
The next morning, the abductors called and put the father on the line. In a shaky voice, he pleaded for immediate rescue of himself and his wife. The family wasted no time in getting a relation to act as negotiator to convey the money to a pre-arranged location. Inside the bag containing the money and the medication, they put a mobile phone which had a tracking device. The police, confident that with the help of the tracker, the money would lead straight to the abductors, prepared to swing into action. Several hours later, the family received a call that the abductors had the money but had not released the couple, instead they had shot the negotiator on the leg.
Early the next day, the abductors called again but this time to inform them that the woman had died. They claimed that she had given up the ghost just before the arrival of her medication. They had proceeded to bury her body. They demanded for an additional N7 Million for the immediate release of the man. The distraught family decided not to comply but to leave everything to fate. The man was released the very next day. The police informed the family several days later that they had traced the phone to a certain location. Unfortunately, the abductors were long gone.
Some aspects of this story did not add up. First and foremost, the abductors were dressed in police uniforms or in outfits closely resembling police uniforms. Could they have been actual police men? Strange was the fact that even with a tracking device the police failed to apprehend the abductors the moment the money was handed over. One would have expected them to trail the negotiator to the location where the exchange was to take place. Curious that the abductors left the mobile phone behind. Ever heard of a monkey rejecting a banana? Could they have been aware that it contained a tracker?
Fortunately, the man made it out alive even if the whereabouts of the woman are still unknown. A not-so-happy ending to a nightmare which is made worse by the fact that the family is still to this day searching for the body of the woman but at the same time praying for a miracle that she is still alive.
There I was thinking that my situation was bad until I heard my friend`s story.
One sunny afternoon just the week before, his aged parents had left their hometown to pay a visit to the Governor of the state. Half way to their destination, they received word that the meeting had been rescheduled. On getting back to the village, they decided to attend a meeting at the church before heading home. Several kilometers to their destination, on a long stretch of road marked with pot-holes, their car was suddenly blocked by a black SUV which seemed to appear out of nowhere. Their driver of eight years narrowly missed running into it. He expertly swerved the car to the left and into a ditch filled with debris. Four able-bodied men dressed in outfits similar to police uniforms sprang out and ordered the couple out at gun point. One of them struck the frightened woman on the face to rouse her out of her shock-induced unresponsiveness as the others ordered the driver to run into the nearby bushes. He then proceeded to drag her alongside her husband out of the car and into the back seat of the dusty SUV. The four men got in after them and the car sped off in the opposite direction leaving behind a trail of reddish brown dust. Several minutes later, the terrified driver came out of the bushes and drove straight to the church to inform the parishioners who in turn alerted the police.
Two days later, the anxious family received a call from a man claiming responsibility for the abductions. His demand was the sum of N15 Million in exchange for their release. They immediately relayed this information to the police who advised them to comply with the demands.
Four days after, still no closer to gathering such a large sum of money, the abductors called to inform them that the woman was feeling poorly and that being diabetic needed her medication. Also, that out of the goodness of their hearts, they had reduced the sum to N13 Million. The desperate family pleaded with them that all they could come up with was N1.8 Million. The two sides haggled till the sum of N6 Million was agreed upon. The family informed close friends and relations and at the end of the day was able to come up with the agreed sum.
The next morning, the abductors called and put the father on the line. In a shaky voice, he pleaded for immediate rescue of himself and his wife. The family wasted no time in getting a relation to act as negotiator to convey the money to a pre-arranged location. Inside the bag containing the money and the medication, they put a mobile phone which had a tracking device. The police, confident that with the help of the tracker, the money would lead straight to the abductors, prepared to swing into action. Several hours later, the family received a call that the abductors had the money but had not released the couple, instead they had shot the negotiator on the leg.
Early the next day, the abductors called again but this time to inform them that the woman had died. They claimed that she had given up the ghost just before the arrival of her medication. They had proceeded to bury her body. They demanded for an additional N7 Million for the immediate release of the man. The distraught family decided not to comply but to leave everything to fate. The man was released the very next day. The police informed the family several days later that they had traced the phone to a certain location. Unfortunately, the abductors were long gone.
Some aspects of this story did not add up. First and foremost, the abductors were dressed in police uniforms or in outfits closely resembling police uniforms. Could they have been actual police men? Strange was the fact that even with a tracking device the police failed to apprehend the abductors the moment the money was handed over. One would have expected them to trail the negotiator to the location where the exchange was to take place. Curious that the abductors left the mobile phone behind. Ever heard of a monkey rejecting a banana? Could they have been aware that it contained a tracker?
Fortunately, the man made it out alive even if the whereabouts of the woman are still unknown. A not-so-happy ending to a nightmare which is made worse by the fact that the family is still to this day searching for the body of the woman but at the same time praying for a miracle that she is still alive.
There I was thinking that my situation was bad until I heard my friend`s story.
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