Kidnapped victim's wife slumps as farmers protest incessant abductions

    *Seven farmers still in captivity, over N20bn business threatened

IGP, Ibrahim Idris

Ambode

A housewife collapsed yesterday in front of the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, while protesting the abduction of her husband and the strangulating hold of kidnappers on Epe residents and farmers.

The victim is among hundreds of Epe farmers, who thronged Ambode’s office, protesting continual abduction of their members by kidnappers.

The protesters said that over 50 farmers had so far been kidnapped and millions of naira paid as ransom to regain their freedom.

The collapsed woman is said to be the wife of one of the seven victims, abducted on February 14.  

The husband and six others are still in the captivity of the kidnappers. The kidnappers demanded N350million before they would release them. On Saturday, the kidnappers threatened to kill the seven victims because the ransom was being delayed.

The woman suddenly collapsed at the governor’s office while the protest was ongoing. She was rushed to the clinic in the Governor’s office by health workers.

The farmers said they were sad because the government had not taken a decisive action to stem the spiraling tide of kidnapping in the axis.

According to them, armed abductors frequently storm their farms located on Igbodu-Ishiwo Road to kidnap their colleagues at will.

They urged the state government to mobilise the Joint Task Force to dislodge kidnapers from creeks surrounding the Igbodu farm settlements where kidnappers are believed to be operating from.

They said: “The kidnapping of farmers is discouraging entrepreneurs from farming and economic diversification which the All Progressive Congress-led federal government is preaching.”

The protesters, who converged at the Shoprite and marched to the Ikeja, House, said that five of their members and two Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), abducted by the kidnappers on February 14 were still being held by the abductors.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters,  Mr. Ayokunle Ore, said: “With continued kidnapping of our members, over N20billion investments are being threatened. Many of us no longer go to the farms to feed our birds or irrigate our farms over of being kidnapped.”

Ore said that since September, 2016, farmers in Igbodu/Isiwo had been under sustained attacks by the kidnappers.

He said: "On September 16, three female farm workers and six-month-old baby were kidnapped. Two months later, precisely, November 16, four farmers were kidnapped from farmville. Also, November 21st of the same year, five workers were kidnapped from Kodjo Farms. On January 19, 2017, we also recorded another incident when two farm workers, one of them a female was kidnapped from Tanda Farms. The kidnappers also visited Elysian Farm, the farm managers and a customer was kidnapped on the same day. Just last month, February 14, the kidnappers returned to Elysian farms and kidnapped  four workers, a casual worker and  two vigilante group members. As at the last count, kidnappers were demanding N5million for each of the kidnapped seven people who are still in their captivity.”

He explained that they had met with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, stressing that police efforts had not yielded any result.

“Even our private efforts in engaging community vigilantes, and supporting the police in limited patrol that invariably limited our costs, have also not yielded any reprieve. Sometime, we have had to pay heavily for police efforts to get to our farms," said Ore.

He noted that members no longer go to their farms, while their multi-billion naira investments are going down the drain with many of them gradually being turned to job seekers.

He further said: "While kidnappers are amassing huge sums in millions, paid to them as ransom money, the investment made by the farmers are rapidly going down the drain. Except something is done urgently, the current investment will disappear. Thousands of young men currently employed will be jobless, thus further worsening employment situation in the country.”

Another farmer, Tony whose workers are currently being held, said that the police are aware of the kidnap last Tuesday.

His words: “Immediately after the kidnap, we reported the case at the Agbowa Police Station. And that indicated that the government is aware of the kidnap within the axis. A It’s pathetic that the seven persons are still in the net of the abductor. The police have not updated us on the effort embarked upon to address the issue.”

A former kidnapped victim, Mr. Kazeem Adejare said: “The kidnappers surrounded me in the farm and took me away. It was a bitter experience. I went to check the crops section of our farm when someone tapped me from behind. I glanced back and they ordered me to cooperate. Two of them held a machete, while others were armed with guns.

“Initially, I thought they were armed robbers. I tried to run, but one of them threw a stick at me and I fell. They took me away. They asked for the manager of the farm, but I told them I was the supervisor of the farm.

"They dragged me on the ground to the riverside; to my surprise, when I got to the river I met four of our workers already in their boat. When we got to the creek, they beat us with machetes. We were given another cloth to wear. The following day, they took us to another creek where we were forced to drink from the river were we defecate. We were also blindfolded throughout our stay in the creek. Sometimes, the kidnappers would give us a meal a day. Most of the food they gave us didn’t have salt and some other ingredients. We went through hell in the creek, before the ransom was paid on the seventh day. When they finally released us, we walked for about five hours in the forest before linking the main road."