Friday, December 15, 2023, was a nightmare for Nigerian juju band, Adebukoye Sofumade Adewunmi (aka Omoba De Jumbo Beats), whose members had been reportedly kidnapped alongside the Lokoja-Abuja freeway, a couple of days earlier than Christmas.
The band chief was kidnapped alongside his crew whereas coming back from a present in Kogi.
The way it occurred
The band chief who spoke completely with TRIBUNE ONLINE, narrated how they walked a protracted distance for hours inside an unknown forest.
“We had an occasion in Abuja from sixteenth to seventeenth (final month) however that occasion on the fifteenth occurs to be in Itakete Isanlu, Kogi, a really small city. So one in all our large followers right here in Abuja contacted me and mentioned, ‘I would like you to please play for my sister’s mom’s burial in Itakete Isanlu nevertheless it’s a really small city you’ll be able to’t see excellent lodge there. Now we have to lodge you in Isanlu, which may be very near that place’.
“Sincerely, I don’t wish to go however as a result of he’s one in all my large followers, I simply must take heed to him and I agreed to go along with my boys.
“We even have one other occasion on the sixteenth and seventeenth, which is Saturday and Sunday in Abuja, which is the primary occasion we went to the place this factor (kidnap) occurred.
“So, we left Abuja on Thursday (14th) with my guys, 13 of them, and had been lodged at Isanlu. From there, we went to Itakete Isanlu. After the occasion in Itakete Isanlu, we completed that occasion round 5:30 within the night. On Friday, we agreed to go to Kabba, and from there to Lokoja, since we’ve one other occasion in Abuja on the sixteenth and seventeenth. So, we left Itakete Isanlu some minutes to six O’clock and received to Kabba round 8:05.
“Once we received to Kabba, we dropped and eased ourselves. We additionally washed the automotive due to the mud round that place and continued our journey from Kabba.
“Instantly we received to a small village after Dangote cement manufacturing facility round 9:12 pm, we simply observed flashes of sunshine at a spot instantly after the soldier checkpoint, like a 4 4-minute drive after the checkpoint. I sat on the entrance and will see every little thing that was occurring.
“Three buses had been forward of us. We now noticed the primary one turning again. Once we requested him what was occurring? He mentioned there have been armed robbers within the entrance, so all of us now turned again.
“As we had been turning again, the folks we noticed on the soldier checking level began capturing. They shot on the first bus that gave us the intel. I do know folks died on that bus, I’m very positive of that as a result of I noticed what was occurring.
“So, they now began capturing our bus. It was simply God that saved us as a result of in case you see the bullet in that bus too, you’ll be amazed. Our bus stopped after they shot on the engine.
“When the bus stopped, they requested each one in all us to alight and lie flat on the bottom. After mendacity down, they began capturing once more, it was simply the mercy of God that the bullet didn’t meet anyone. We had been then requested to face up. They now informed us in Hausa to go. We now continued the journey.
“After we received to a different place, they informed us to convey out every little thing that we had with us. We gave them our telephones and cash as a result of we had been coming from an occasion, together with all the cash that they sprayed us. They threw away our guitars, keyboards, and different musical devices.
“Additionally they packed our sneakers and the stuff we had with us. From there, we requested to march to the bush in a straight line.
“So from that spot, we trekked like 8 hours to the place they stopped to the primary level the place they camped us. We couldn’t get to that spot that evening. We needed to sleep in a single place. They took us to the primary camp within the morning,” he narrated.
On the kidnappers’ den
It was an unpleasant expertise for Omoba De Jumbo Beats and his crew of their 4 days in captivity, as they had been left helpless with no freedom in sight.
In Adewunmi’s phrases, “We had been tied like Sallah meat”. The victims (13 of them) had been additionally starved for the times spent within the kidnappers’ den.
“For the times we spent there, we had no meals, water, or something to eat. It’s simply the mercy of God that saved us alive,” he added.
In line with him, “I by no means thought we might be freed, as a result of they informed us to pay ₦10 million every. I misplaced hope at a degree as a result of the struggling was an excessive amount of, I couldn’t even pray that for my enemy”.
‘We nearly received killed’
He mentioned the gang chief at a degree ordered that the abductors kill three of his crew members however God used him to rescue them.
“Their oga (gang chief) informed them that they need to kill three of us earlier than they launched us that they will’t launch all of us, and that they need to kill 3 amongst us.
“So, I pleaded with them and so they mentioned no that their oga had given them instruction. I additional informed them if I am going residence and so they kill my guys which can be simply in search of what to eat, their household could be on my neck and I’d not have peace, simply assist me to beg Oga that he ought to enable all of them to go, I’ll sacrifice myself, they need to kill solely me.
“I don’t know if that assertion was what made them change their thoughts as a result of instantly I mentioned that, their commandant simply shook his head (dramatising) and went away. He got here again a couple of minutes later and mentioned, ‘simply make sure that the cash is full’,” he revealed.
He, nevertheless, urged the federal authorities to look into the prevailing safety challenges within the nation by placing measures in place to mitigate in opposition to banditry and amongst different legal actions.
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