Fulani boys kidnapped us, Army complicit — Methodist Prelate
EMERGENCY DIGEST- The Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Samuel Kanu-Uche, has revealed that those who kidnapped him and his Chaplain, Very Rev. Abidemi Shittu, and the Bishop of Owerri, Rt. Rev. Dennis Mark, were “Fulani boys”.
Kanu-Uche, who spoke at a new conference in Lagos on Tuesday, said the Nigerian Army was complicity in the kidnap.
The Prelate, who was abducted by hoodlums in Abia State on Sunday and freed on Monday, said N100 million was paid to secure their freedom.
Kanu-Uche, who was abducted along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, said they was going to the airport when they were attacked.
He said: “In order to catch up with my flight at 4pm, we took off by 2pm to go to the airport, oblivious of the fact that kidnappers were waiting on the road.
“As we were descending to Ileru in Abia State, they came out from the bush and divided themselves into three groups.
“Some were at the back, some at the centre.
“Then there was another group in front to make sure we did not run away.
“They fired shots at our vehicle and eventually abducted three of us.
“The communication man of the church and the driver escaped.
“They took us into the bush and tortured us.
“In the process of the torture, I hit my right eye on a tree and even when blood was flowing and was soaking my handkerchief, they did not feel like anything happened.
“All they said was that we should follow them.”
Read Also:
Kanu-Uche said the team that attacked them was made up of eight “Fulani boys,” who claimed to be against the government, adding that they threatened that if they get hold of President Muhammadu Buhari, “they will chew him to pieces because he had disappointed them.
“We were taken into the bush and we trekked up to 15 kilometres.
“Eventually at 11pm, they said we should negotiate and each of us should pay N50 million, making N150 million.”
He said when he tried to reduce the ransom, the gang threatened to shoot him, adding that their leader was about 35 years old.
Kanu-Uche said the men later pegged the ransom at N100 million.
He said it was at this stage that he reached out to leaders of the church and his wife, Florence, who was also at the news briefing, to raise the money by all means, adding that he observed that military men were around the place where the hoodlums operated, while their cows were also around the vicinity.
He equally said that the kidnappers threatened to kill them if they involved the Department of State Services, Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police in the case.
He said: “They pointed their guns at us.
“They threatened that if we involved the DSS, police or Army, they would kill us.
“They said down there, there is a gully of seven decomposing bodies and we cut off their heads.
“We also perceived the odour of killed human beings.
“Their leader asked for five Ghana-Must-Go bags for the N100 million.
“He also said Lagos is on their radar.
“I am asking that the government should act now before another thing starts to happen.
“The Methodist church sent N100 million for the three of us who were kidnapped.
“The money came from members of the Methodist Church of Nigeria.
“
