I was tortured because I told them I don’t have one million dollars for ransom-Bamigbetan. *I had a premonition something bad will happen to me

Joyous singing, dancing and clapping was the order of the day at Ona Iwa Mimo Street, Ejigbo were, the abducted Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Kehinde Bamigbetan lives. The singers were all jubilating over the recent release of Bamigbetan by his abductors on Saturday night, at about 11pm.

Bamigbetan was abducted last Monday as he was being driven home by driver. Reports later said that four armed men had accosted his car and kidnapped him. He was abducted as he drove into Ona Iwa Mimo Street where his home is located in Ejigbo.
Just when people feared the worst, his abductors had contacted family members, demanding for 1 million dollars ransom. Speculations over the amount were rift as people said N50m, while others claimed it was N20m.
It was gathered that the celebration at Bamgbetan’s home started on Saturday night, immediately family members and friends sighted him. Song after songs followed and prayers after prayers had also followed.

Yesterday (Sunday) morning, at about 5:30 am, other friends and political colleagues who heard about his release trouped out to join those who had not left his home since his return.
Bamigbetan, who is the centre of attention, dressed in white lace, looked fatigued.
The chairman, who said he was surely glad to be home among friends, family members and well wishers, however refused to state how much ransom was given to his abductors.

Recounting how he was kidnapped in chilling details, Bamigbetan said: “I woke up on Monday morning with a strong premonition that something was going to happen. I couldn’t place how it would happen or why or when. I was already tensed. That day I didn’t leave home until 2pm because I was wondering whether I should step out or not considering my strong premonition. I had two events; I had a CDA tour to give annual reports on how far we have gone with our campaign promises and then get their feedback. There was also a meeting with the chairmen of CDAs. We needed to sensitise them on the importance of our Annual Desilting Programme and the process of it. It was for those two reasons I had to be in the council.
“I was there and the two events held. By the time we finished, it was about 7pm. I realized that I had two appointments on the Island. I went for the assignments and by 9pm, I had finished my assignments. But because of that fear, I decided that I should change my route. I usually come in through Western Avenue, Lawanson and then through Surulere, but this time I chose to come in through Ikotun.
“As I was entering my street, I was still thinking that maybe I was making too much out of nothing. Suddenly this vehicle came and double crossed us. My first reaction was for us (I and my driver) to reverse, but they came out and started shooting the vehicle. The vehicle got stuck while we tried to escape.
“They caught up with me. They asked me why we were running, that did I want to kill myself? That showed that they were not after my life. I said I was afraid, so they ordered me into the vehicle. I entered. They put my face down and then for about four hours we kept driving. 

“My ears were picking the waves of the tyres and at some point, we got to a place. They then blindfolded me and led me into a room. I felt my hands on the carpet, a dark carpet. They asked me not to open my eyes and then they tightened the folds so I couldn’t even raise my eye lids. I was there and they started asking me questions, I realized that they had taken my laptop and everything I had in the car and were going through it.

“They started asking me questions. I told them I am a journalist and that I work for the government, they said, they had seen my card that I am the chairman of Ejigbo Local government, I said no, it’s LCDA, and LCDA is a small body under the LG and we don’t have direct funding from the FG.

“They asked if we were the ones ‘eating’ the money. I told them I don’t know the money we are ‘eating’ because we are in the local government and we don’t get direct funding from the federal government. They said they are graduates and they have been on the street and they couldn’t get jobs. That, ‘you people are supposed to give us jobs, but you’re blowing the money!’ 

“They said they have engineers and human resource managers amongst themselves, but they had decided to take the gun to get their own share of the National Cake because ‘We’ would not give them jobs.  I told them that I shared their sympathy. I told them I was working on some of these things in my own LCDA.

“So far we have created about 156 jobs and then other interventions in schools.  I told them I don’t even have enough to steal. They said I was lying and asked me if I was not on my second term in office. I answered them. They said I was interested in doing 3rd term and someone had paid them N35million to murder me.

“I said look, we had an election October 2011, my tenure ends in 2014 and I’m not contesting again. Why anyone would put a price on my head. They insisted, adding that I was going to pay $1million. I asked them where on earth would I get such an amount of money from, but they insisted that I was going to pay because it was their own share of the National Cake. They said they must take it since we had been ‘chopping’ alone all along and they wanted their own share of the Cake. 

“I told them it doesn’t work like that. They asked me how much I used to earn every month. I said I earn N187, 000 per month. They said I was lying, that I should be earning more than that. They brought out my laptop, asked me for my password, they checked it and started looking for my accounts. They asked me how much I could pay. I told them I don’t know. They asked if there was anyone who could pay for me. They asked me who the closest person to me was. I said my wife.  They asked me to call my wife. I called her and they spoke with her and told her I was in their hands. They told her that if she wanted to save me, we should pay $1million.

“My wife asked where she was going to get that money from, she said it was not possible, that she couldn’t get that kind of money from anywhere, so they cut the phone. 

“They were angry and said we didn’t want to cooperate. That was how the torture started. My hands were tied to the chair and my legs as well. They blindfolded my eyes and used a scarf to cover my mouth. They beat me at intervals. I couldn’t talk anyway. After a while, they slowed down, by that time, I realized they would not change their demand and I had to respond to their issue. When they came back, I told them I was ready to talk but the money was too much, they reminded me that they had been paid. 

“I told them that I’m 48-year-old. That I have three children. That if that is the way God wanted it, I have tried my best, so I turned. They asked me if I could pay N50million. I said N50 million is a big amount and I can’t pay it because I don’t have that kind of money. I have only N800, 000 in all my accounts.

“I asked them to check the records on my laptop. They started dillydallying. One of suggested they hit me some more, some said let them ask how much I could pay., they were desperate, and then someone asked if I could I pay N15million, I said I don’t know but I have a friend if he knows I’m in this condition he could help me. I gave them the name of the friend; I can’t give you people his name though. They said they will explore the option. They came back and said they were talking with my friend and they were negotiating.

“They sent one of their own to go to my LCDA and see what people were saying about me. They said a lot of people said I was a good man and then when the newspapers started writing the reports, they said everyone was talking so well of me and I must be a good man. They said what they could do for me. From the point of visiting the LCDA, their orientation changed. They said I was a nice man and they won’t let me die. They would ensure I was released. They started asking me what I was going to eat, forcing me to eat water melon.”

The chairman thanked everyone who stood in his compound, adding that he was grateful for their prayers and well wish.

Founder of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, said he was happy with the turnout of event. According to him, OPC had taken interest in the abduction because Bamgbetan is first a Yoruba and the one of the principles of OPC, “is to defend Yoruba interest. We did not deviate from this principle during his kidnap.”

Asked the role OPC played in making sure the chairman returned home unhurt, Fasehun said: “We don’t usually stand on rooftop to shout about our victories. I must however tell you, that it was not only OPC that contributed to his safe release. Other people contributed, members of the community contributed and even security operatives. We God the glory.”

Asked if OPC will still continue the hunt for Bamgbetan’s abductors, Fasehun said: “We don’t do fire brigade things in OPC. We try to get to the root of events, so that future experiences will gain from past deeds. We live and learn and learn to live. We allow our future to influence our past. That’s I want to say.”

Deputy Police Spokesman, Ozoani Damasus, said he could confirm categorically that the chairman was released on Saturday night, he however refused to give inside information or detail of how he was released and the role the police played.  He however revealed that investigation was still ongoing on the abduction and that there were strategies police were putting in place, but which he would also he did not wish to disclose for security reasons.