How I trekked six hours in forest – Kidnapped Ondo Chief lmam
The kidnapped Chief Imam of the Uso community, in the Akure North council area of Ondo state, Alhaji Ibrahim Bodunde Oyinlade, has recounted how he trekked for six hours in the forest and beaten mercilessly by his abductors.
His abductors had demanded N10m ransom from his family members before his release but the 67-year-old cleric whose family coughed out N2m was released after 24 hours by his captors.
Three suspects connected to his abduction were paraded by the state police command. They include Muinah Mohammed (19), Aisha Bello (20) and Isah Bello (40).
Narrating his ordeal while speaking journalists at the police headquarters in Akure, the Chief lmam said he was made to trek for six hours in the bush by his suspected abductors.
The cleric said, ” l was made to trek in the forest for six hours, beaten mercilessly by the kidnappers because I couldn’t speak English. They insisted that l should speak to them in pidgin English and must not speak Yoruba. Each time l mistakenly speak Yoruba, they beat me up.
” They were looking for a safe place to hide me that was why they made me trek for that long.
“When we eventually arrived in a place, they put my back to a tree and tied my hands to his back and my legs too were also tied.
” I was not given food or water for 48 hours while I was in their den. It was a terrible experience.
Alhaji Oyinlade said that his abductors had information about him as they reeled out his dossier to him.
“But they were unable to collect his phone because they couldn’t see it where he kept it.
” Other members of the gang had to wait for their leaders before they started the negotiation for the ransom.
” Negotiation with my family members started when the gang leaders joined others at the hideout in the thick forest
He affirmed that his abductors collected a ransom of N2m before he was led back to his farm where he was released.
It was learnt that police detectives during the investigation, tracked the telephone number used for the negotiation with the family and one 40–year-old Isah Bello was arrested.
When he was arrested, it was discovered that her daughter, Aisha Bello who collected his old SIM gave it to her boyfriend, Muinah Mohammed who used it for the negotiation.
Speaking on on incident, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Funmi Odunlami, said that “on the 18th of June, 2023, one Mrs Bodunde around 6 pm went to the Uso division to complain that her husband, Alli Ibrahim Bodunde went to the farm and he was supposed to come back around 2 pm but unfortunately when they did not see him they sent two persons to the farm in order to look for him.
“When they got to the farm, they met his car and his mobile phone but they could not see him. And immediately the case was reported, the police swung into action and at the end of the day, the man was released.
“But in the cause of the investigation, we realized that the man in question is the Chief Imam of Uso community and through our intelligence team we were able to arrest the suspects and at the end of the investigations, the suspects will be charged to court.”
