‘I Lied That I’m Married’, Nun Abducted By Gang Who Killed Sowore’s Brother Narrates Escape

One of the kidnapped victims who escaped from his captors in
Okada, Edo State, Mrs. Emmanuella Anyanwu, yesterday recounted how
she maneuvered her way to freedom.

Anyanwu, who said she was travelling to Imo State for the burial
of her husband before the unfortunate event, was among the five
people abducted by suspected herdsmen on Benin-Ore-Shagamu highway,
which resulted in the killing of Felix Olajide Sowore, younger
brother the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowere, last
Saturday.

Giving a vivid account of what actually happened while speaking
with journalists at the state Police Command in Benin-city, she
said: “On Friday, we were coming from Lagos to the eastern region,
and our vehicle broke down around Okada in the outskirts of
Benin-city. We passed the night in the vehicle. At about 6:30 a.m.
to 7:00a.m., some men came out from the bush shooting at us so we
surrendered.

“They took our belongings, including our phones, and matched us
into the bush. It took us almost two hours to get to their camp.
They blind folded us. So they started calling us one after the
other, and I was the last person they called. They asked me where I
was coming from and where I was going. I told them that I was
coming from Lagos and going to Imo State for my husband’s
burial.

“They asked how many children do I have, I told them two, and I
also told them that I sell groundnut in Lagos. They asked if I was
the one providing the money to bury my husband, and I told them his
brother will do that. They also wanted to know what my sister does,
and I told them she sells bread in the
village.”

They asked if I know them, I said no. They asked if I know the
police and army, I told them I know them.

“They told me they were kidnappers and said they abducted me
because of ransom. They said if I don’t have money they will take
my life. I asked them how much they wanted. But one of them was
furious that I was asking them questions. I told them I needed to
know the ransom. They asked if I had N10million, and I told them
there was no way to get that kind of money. I told them I will give
them N500, 000 from the money gathered from my village. One of them
said I was a fool, and they told me to sit down.”

At this point, the widow said it started raining heavily, which
forced their abductors to leave them for a while before reappearing
with another man, adding that it was at this point she hashed the
plan to escape.

She continued: “Then it started raining heavily and they went
away and brought another man. So they took something from the man
and all their attention was on it. So I remove my blind fold and
decide to escape but I decided to shelf the plan till midnight. But
my intuition told me to escape because I would not have the
opportunity to do so in the night because the abductors don’t sleep
in the night. I crept and that was how I escaped.

“I saw a mast far away and I started trekking toward it. After
one hour or more I got to a road and saw an elderly man on
motorcycle and I asked him to take me to the police station, which
he did.”

According to the Imo State-born lady, “We were two ladies and
three men when they kidnapped us,” adding that she believes those
that kidnapped them are Fulani people, because on that same
Saturday afternoon, they released their cow and came to where they
were held captive.

She added: “They were very aggressive, and warned us not to look
at their faces and not to talk to one another. They were beating
the men but spared the women. I only sustained the wounds on my
body when I was trying to find my way out of the bush,” adding that
they were not even aware that someone was killed during the kidnap
operation, though the kidnappers were shooting sporadically at any
vehicle that they came across during operation.

He explained that the security measures taken by the state
government would affect residents economically, but it was
necessary in order to restore normalcy and stop bandits and their
collaborators from having access to communication and other means
of livelihood.

The governor said: “We believed this and other further measures
that we are taking with the Federal Ministry of Communication would
also help in restoring normalcy to our respective communities.

“Further instructions and directives affecting Funtua,
Malumfashi and Bakori Local Government Areas are coming today
(Monday). We have to restrict the sale of fuel in these areas as
well. And we are looking at the possibility of curbing further
communication in these local government areas.

“The security measures taken by the state government might hurt
residents economically, but it is necessary to take this now to
restore sanity and prevent these bandits and their collaborators
from getting free access to communication and other means of
livelihood.”

One of the kidnapped victims who escaped from his captors in
Okada, Edo State, Mrs. Emmanuella Anyanwu, yesterday recounted how
she maneuvered her way to freedom.

Anyanwu, who said she was travelling to Imo State for the burial
of her husband before the unfortunate event, was among the five
people abducted by suspected herdsmen on Benin-Ore-Shagamu highway,
which resulted in the killing of Felix Olajide Sowore, younger
brother the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowere, last
Saturday.

Giving a vivid account of what actually happened while speaking
with journalists at the state Police Command in Benin-city, she
said: “On Friday, we were coming from Lagos to the eastern region,
and our vehicle broke down around Okada in the outskirts of
Benin-city. We passed the night in the vehicle. At about 6:30 a.m.
to 7:00a.m., some men came out from the bush shooting at us so we
surrendered.

“They took our belongings, including our phones, and matched us
into the bush. It took us almost two hours to get to their camp.
They blind folded us. So they started calling us one after the
other, and I was the last person they called. They asked me where I
was coming from and where I was going. I told them that I was
coming from Lagos and going to Imo State for my husband’s
burial.

“They asked how many children do I have, I told them two, and I
also told them that I sell groundnut in Lagos. They asked if I was
the one providing the money to bury my husband, and I told them his
brother will do that. They also wanted to know what my sister does,
and I told them she sells bread in the
village.”

They asked if I know them, I said no. They asked if I know the
police and army, I told them I know them.

“They told me they were kidnappers and said they abducted me
because of ransom. They said if I don’t have money they will take
my life. I asked them how much they wanted. But one of them was
furious that I was asking them questions. I told them I needed to
know the ransom. They asked if I had N10million, and I told them
there was no way to get that kind of money. I told them I will give
them N500, 000 from the money gathered from my village. One of them
said I was a fool, and they told me to sit down.”

At this point, the widow said it started raining heavily, which
forced their abductors to leave them for a while before reappearing
with another man, adding that it was at this point she hashed the
plan to escape.

She continued: “Then it started raining heavily and they went
away and brought another man. So they took something from the man
and all their attention was on it. So I remove my blind fold and
decide to escape but I decided to shelf the plan till midnight. But
my intuition told me to escape because I would not have the
opportunity to do so in the night because the abductors don’t sleep
in the night. I crept and that was how I escaped.

“I saw a mast far away and I started trekking toward it. After
one hour or more I got to a road and saw an elderly man on
motorcycle and I asked him to take me to the police station, which
he did.”

According to the Imo State-born lady, “We were two ladies and
three men when they kidnapped us,” adding that she believes those
that kidnapped them are Fulani people, because on that same
Saturday afternoon, they released their cow and came to where they
were held captive.

She added: “They were very aggressive, and warned us not to look
at their faces and not to talk to one another. They were beating
the men but spared the women. I only sustained the wounds on my
body when I was trying to find my way out of the bush,” adding that
they were not even aware that someone was killed during the kidnap
operation, though the kidnappers were shooting sporadically at any
vehicle that they came across during operation.

He explained that the security measures taken by the state
government would affect residents economically, but it was
necessary in order to restore normalcy and stop bandits and their
collaborators from having access to communication and other means
of livelihood.

The governor said: “We believed this and other further measures
that we are taking with the Federal Ministry of Communication would
also help in restoring normalcy to our respective communities.

“Further instructions and directives affecting Funtua,
Malumfashi and Bakori Local Government Areas are coming today
(Monday). We have to restrict the sale of fuel in these areas as
well. And we are looking at the possibility of curbing further
communication in these local government areas.

“The security measures taken by the state government might hurt
residents economically, but it is necessary to take this now to
restore sanity and prevent these bandits and their collaborators
from getting free access to communication and other means of
livelihood.”