Victor Olabimtan, the former speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly (OSHA), who was abducted last week on his way from Akure to Abuja by armed hoodlums in military camouflage, has recounted his ordeal in the hands of his abductors after spreading four days in captivity.
Victor Olabimtan, the former speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly (OSHA), who was abducted last week on his way from Akure to Abuja by armed hoodlums in military camouflage, has recounted his ordeal in the hands of his abductors after spreading four days in captivity.
Mr. Olabimtan addressed journalists this weekend at his Alagbaka residence in Akure, the Ondo State capital informing them that he was traumatized while in the custody of his kidnappers.
The ex-speaker and governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) disclosed that his abductors who wore a police and military uniforms and scared him and the other occupants of his vehicle with sporadic gunshots at a road block.
"It was exactly, 6:35 P.M. We arrived to an area, and I was hearing heavy gun shots, I immediately asked my driver what was happening? I saw those who were shooting and they had the uniforms of the Nigerian Army and the police force,” Mr. Olabimtan explained.
The former speaker explained that he thought he the army and police were exchanging gun fire. However, it quickly became apparent that the men were in fact armed robbers.
The men went from vehicle to vehicle collecting money from various passengers. Once they arrived at Mr. Olabimtan’s vehicle he gave them the cash he had on his person.
The men initially left Mr. Olabimtan to threaten others for money. However, they quickly returned shouting for the oga.
"They asked if I was the owner of the vehicle and I replied ‘yes’ because they were pointing gun at me and they instructed me to stand up,” Mr. Olabimtan recalled.
He revealed that his abductors dragged him by his waist to the bush and gave him a dirty slap in the face intermittently when he tried resisting them.
"They dragged me by my waist to the bush, even when I wanted to resist, they gave me a dirty slap and my eyes turned blue immediately I had to obey and followed them.
“While they were dragging me into the bush, lots of things were coming into my mind, I was asking myself that they could be Ritualists. They collected money from us, and we began the journey into the bush by walking about 30 minutes before asking us to stop,” Mr. Olabimtan said.
He described his fears of being shot by his captors, and his attempts to resist. Unfortunately each attempt to resist was met with a beating. The former speaker was robbed of all of his valuables, even his shoes.
"[By] 8 P.M., I was walking barefooted because my shoes and other valuable things in me had been removed and began following them [the kidnappers] while some of the captors were in the front and others were at the rear, guiding us.
"By 11: 30 P.M., we arrived at a secluded spot and they instructed us to laid face-down. I was watching them secretly and noticed that it was the money they raked and looted during their operation that they were sharing amongst themselves. They came back and told us that everyone is sleeping at this spot till the following morning,” he described.
Mr. Olabimtan said that his abductors who were all graduates and fierce looking could only offer him a bottle of coca cola, bread, and stream "dirty" water to drink during the four days he spent with them.
The former APC governorship candidate recalled that his kidnappers forced all those who were kidnapped alongside him to trek barefoot to various locations and climb mountains before settling down in a big pit where they were hidden from the public.
"At exactly, 4 A.M. they instructed us to be on the move for another journey until 11:30 A.M.
“We climbed and descended two mountains before they [the kidnappers] hid us in a pit until the following day.
“The next day they asked each of us how much we had in our bank account to bail us out. I told them, I didn't have money in my bank account. They asked me, whom I knew that could raised money to secure my release.
"Immediately, they set my own bail out money to N20 million, while others that were kidnapped to were billed at N5 million and N7 million but I asked why would my own money be N20 million and they replied that I am the Oga (Boss), pointing at my exotic vehicle,” Mr. Olabimtan stated.
He went on to describe that he had hidden any sort of documentation which would alert his captors to the fact that he was a former gubernatorial candidate. He later requested the privilege of calling his son.
Eventually, his kidnappers began to negotiate a ransom. Throughout the negotiations the abductors continually threatened Mr. Olabimtan’s life.
He was eventually released once his ransom was paid.
"They [the kidnappers] told us, we have been bailed out but I told them to do me a favor that I want to call my wife, and they obliged me. My wife confirmed that the money had been paid in Abuja,” Mr. Olabimtan explained.
Once the payment went through he and his fellow captives were released. The kidnappers subsequently fled, although Mr. Olabimtan noted that the police were able to kill one of the abductors.