Epe farmers: Why kidnappers keep menstruating women in different room

‘I entered creeks with ransom to save my fiancée’

*Victim shot, attempting to escape

‘Kidnappers threatened to abduct my fiancée again if she jilts me’

*Victims: There is room kidnapped babies

Miss.  Ifeoluwa Olabiyi, 24, is among four farm workers, abducted last week Friday at Igbodu, Epe area of Lagos State.

Olabiyi, who recently completed her NYSC, is a graduate of Nutrients and Biotechnology, Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, Oyo State. The other kidnapped farm workers are Busiyi, Kposu, who is a Togolese national and one Jonathan.  

She had only worked for two weeks before her abduction. She was said to have taken the job to assist her sick mother.

Olabiyi and the other farmer workers, working with Tanda Farms, were released after paying a ransom of N2 million on Wednesday.

The kidnappers had earlier demanded for N20 million, but reduced it when they realised the victims were mere hired hands.

The N2 million was raised by the farm owner, who collapsed last Friday after he heard that his four workers were abducted.

The N2 million was taken into the thick forest, where the kidnappers built their shanties by Olabiyi’s brave hearted fiancé, Mr. Ayodeji Akinyemi.

The victims returned from the kidnappers’ den, to tell all they witnessed and experienced. These experiences were however narrated to Akinyemi.

One of the strange things the victims noticed was that menstruating women were kept in a separate room, away from the kidnappers.

Akinyemi said that the kidnappers told the victims that mensuration would spoil their charms. The victims were also beaten and ordered to pray for the kidnappers before food was given to them.

Akinyemi said: “The prayers are usually for them not to be arrested by police and for them to be successful in their dealings.”

When the incident happened, Akinyemi said they had gone to the Lagos State Police Command, but senior officers there allegedly told him that they had not received any report that farm workers were abducted.

According to Akinyemi, by the time they left the command, he knew they were on their own.

He started interacting with the kidnappers on phone, negotiating and begging them to reduce the ransom. It was also through phone conversations he got to hear the kidnappers beating the victims and ordering them to pray against police arresting them. The cries of his Olabiyi, made him more determined to do everything within his power to get her out of the kidnappers’ den.

When the abductors finally carved in and accepted N2 million, there was nobody available other than him to take the money to the abductors.

Akinyemi said: “The victims told me that they were kept in the creek, where the kidnappers built bamboo trees and raft. But the place is a regimental place. They have situation control room, torture room and other rooms. The kidnappers also have where they used to extract information from victims, and a room where they keep menstruating women. They also have a room for kidnapped babies.”

Akinyemi further said: “The kidnappers told the victims that they keep women having their monthly flow in a separate room, so that their charms wouldn’t weaken. They said their gods doesn’t like such a thing.  They worship a god called ‘Egbesu.’  Every morning, in a shrine in the creek, they pour local gin to this Egbesu. They ask for protection and from being arrested by the police. They also pray against their captives falling sick.”

One of the victims, Jonathan, who attempted to escape from the kidnappers, was shot on the arm. “They gave him First Aid treatment. They have a First Aid box in the creek.”

Akinyemi said: “The victims beaten in the first two days the kidnappers took them to the creek. They finally contacted the farm management for the ransom.” 

Akinyemi said that what would forever remain engraved in his memory was the fact that when he was taking the ransom into the forest, following the direction of the kidnappers, he saw some policemen. They also noticed him, but didn’t bother to stop to ask him questions, especially since that area was known to be kidnappers’ axis.

He explained that aside from the ransom, he also had cartons of wine, which the kidnappers instructed him to come along with.

 In a voice filled with wonder, Akinyemi said: “When I was taking the money to the kidnappers in the creek, some policemen were at the junction, leading into the hideout of the kidnappers. When I took the money to the kidnappers, I waited for about five hours in the forest before five men appeared from nowhere. They threatened me. They asked me how I could risk my life because of a mere woman.

“After I had dropped the money and the two cartons of Red Label drinks, they threatened my fiancée. They threatened to kidnap her again if she jilts me. They said I risked my life just to secure her release.”

The four farm workers were kidnapped on last Friday night by gunmen dressed in military camouflage uniforms. They broke into Tanda Farm around 8pm and marched the victims through the bush path, into waiting boats.

The kidnappers later contacted the farm management through the phone of one of the victims, demanding for N20million ransom. They later reduced it to N2million.

Before the ransom was paid on Wednesday, the kidnappers called Akinyemi, threatening to kill the victims if the money was not paid within 48 hours.

Olabiyi, on Tuesday morning, complained that the kidnappers were maltreating them.

The farm workers were released around 5am in a forest. The forest is said to be five hours walk from the major road. The kidnappers were said to have given direction on phone to Akinyemi, on how to get the ransom across to them.

They also gave direction him instruction on how to get back to Tanda Farm with the victims.

Akinyemi, Olabiyi and the three other farm workers, missed their way, but was assisted by a hunter they met in the forest.  The hunter assisted them to cross the river with his canoe and rowed them to the nearest village. They were later moved to Igbodu village in motorbikes.

Akinyemi said: “We heard them on phone beating the victims whenever we called them to negotiate. After beating them, they would ask the victims to pray for them, so that police would not arrest them. They would also ask the victims to pray for them to be successful in everything they do. It’s only after the prayers that they would feed them with Eba and Egusi soup. They feed just once a day.”