I was abducted on the 3rd of January 2019. On that day, I paid a visit to a close friend of mine who lives at Elijiji Area in Woji Town. At about 7:30 p.m. that evening, we bought bread at a bakery in YKC area of Woji and on our way back, we stopped just two compounds away from her house to buy eggs. This was when an armed man with AK 47 intercepted me because I was the one driving. Another man brought me out of the car and took me into their black small car with my head bent. My friend was able to escape because no one went towards her direction. They were four in total and they drove a long distance. Surprisingly, there was no checkpoint on that route (Bori).
On arrival, I was taken into an uncompleted building where I was blindfolded and interrogated. I slept on the cold floor, with my hands and legs tied, till morning. I was, later, transferred to a one-room village-setting apartment where normal activities were going on outside. My husband was called the next day in the morning which was a Friday and he had promised he was on his way from Lagos and will bring them the money he was trying to raise. I was fed once a day, by God’s grace, I wasn’t beaten or mishandled in anyway. According to them, all they needed was money but will do otherwise if they couldn’t get their demand.
On Saturday, things got heated up when they had noticed my husband had been to the police station and they had been tracked. They even said they got a call that they had identified one of them. So, this angered them greatly and I became very scared for my life. The man who was asked to watch over me showed me care and he promised me nothing would happen to me, and I should be calm. So that night at about 11:00 p.m., he took me to a dark, lonely, and uncompleted building without the knowledge of his members. This was because they became aggressive, rude and loud towards me saying they would do away with me after collecting the ransom. Nevertheless, I hoped on God to deliver me. I was asked to speak with my husband, to tell him I had been beaten and was bleeding and that he needed to come to pay the ransom so that I could go to the hospital, and he shouldn’t involve the police any longer, which I did.
Later that night, they called the man guarding me to tell him that they were going to get the ransom that night. Before this, God has been using the person guarding me to ensure my safety. At about 2:00 a.m. on Sunday early morning, he was called again, and he was told that some money had been paid as ransom but the balance will be paid the next day being a working day. To the glory of God, the guy didn’t wait for the balance to be paid. Instead, at about 5:00 a.m. of the same Sunday morning, the guard called for a bike. He told me that he was going to drop me off somewhere I could get a bus home. Then, he placed my hand on his head asking me to pray for him because he had never done this for anyone. So, I did pray and also asked God to forgive him. Shortly after that, we headed straight to Bori park where he dropped me off and gave me transport fare to go home.
Even though it wasn’t a good experience at all, I saw the hand of God working out things in my favour such that one of them testified saying, “Madam, the way things just dey happen for your side nah God oh because by now we suppose don do you something.” Later, while he was going through my small purse, he found my driver’s license and surprisingly, we were born the same day, month and year. On seeing this, he cried out, chanting about how he would have killed his twin sister.
I want to thank the Almighty God for this great, humongous thing He has done for me. I want to appreciate my husband, parents, sibling, friends, FOG leader with other members of my family outreach group who prayed for my safe return. I sincerely thank our pastors, Pastor Sola who was continually in touch with my husband guiding him through with prayers and advice. I want to thank Pastor Esther for her words of encouragement and prayers too. I also thank Pastor Nkechi for her teachings over the years that have matured me in my walk with Christ. Above all, I give all praise to God Almighty for His dunamis power that is at work in me.