By Amos Igbebe
A victim of kidnap in Oghara, Mariam (other names withheld), who was released after three days in the hands of her abductors, has described her ordeal in the hands of her kidnappers as the most tortuous experience she has ever had.
Mariam was adopted by some unidentified gun men, earlier this month, while she was about travelling for a function. She was, however, released after an undisclosed amount was paid as ransom. She has remained silent since her family secured her release until recently when she narrated her ordeal to our correspondent.
She said: “It was around 8 O’clock on that day when I was about travelling for a workshop in Warri, Delta State. The car I wanted to use was faulty so, I decided to board a public bus to the park where I could get a taxi to Warri. As I was walking down the Ajagbodudu road awaiting the bus, a car drove towards me and stopped at my front. A man, who sat on the back seat, called on me and asked where I was going but I didn’t answer him since I don’t know him.
“As I tried to walk away from the car, the man came and pointed a gun at me. I screamed on sighting the gun, but that was all I could remember about what happened there. I think they hypnotized me because when I gained consciousness, my hands and legs where under locks and I found myself in the midst of two other ladies which they also kidnapped.
“I could not shout anymore for the fear of being hurt or killed. I was requested to call any member of my family and I called my elder sister, Akpevwe. They collected the phone from me informed her of my abduction. I didn’t hear what they discussed but I think Akpevwe informed my parents and they negotiated with them for the ransom which I have been warned not to disclose”, she said.
The victim continued that, “I stayed in their den for three days with other girls but we were not discussing since our lips were sealed. On the second day, the leader of the group came to the room and asked if I was hungry. I nodded my head in agreement and he took me to another room. He was tall and dark in complexion. When we got to the room, he did not offer me the food he promised but stripped me naked and had sex with me several times.
“After he left, two other men came in and told me their ‘Oga’ said I was sweet and thus had come to have a taste. I could only moan and shake my head in disagreement but they jumped on me and took in turns to defile me. Without contraceptives, they did it with virtually all their might. It was a terrible experience: more terrible than I can describe it.
“The sexual charade continued for more than two hours until I began to gasp for breath. It was then they brought me water to drink in order to regain my strength. One of them was apologizing to me saying that was what they were asked to do to me before releasing me.
“The next day, they told me that my people have paid the ransom so I can now go. As the man was telling me, one of them came behind me and placed something like a handkerchief on my nose and before I woke up, I was by the Benin/Sapele road.
“I laid by the road side until a good Samaritan found me and took me to a private hospital. It was from there they called my sister, Akpevwe and they met there. When the doctor observed me, he said my sex organ was severely damaged. I was devastated at first but I thank God that I survived it. Whatever it was that informed my abduction, I believe it was beyond the ransom we gave and I will be grateful if the government can expedite action on curbing the activities of kidnappers in the state, especially in our community”, she narrated.
