How I Was Kidnapped With 14-Seater Bus In Abuja-Lady Recounts Ordeal

The notion that kidnappers only operate with small cars have been proved wrong as an Abuja-based lawyer, Opeyemi Adewale, entered into the hands of suspected kidnappers when she joined a 14-seater bus at a park in Lugbe in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on September 26, 2023.

Opeyemi stated that she had seen many passengers in the bus without knowing that out of all the occupants of the bus, only she and two other women were real passengers while others were members of the gang.

The lawyer added that she came to realize that she had joined a one-chance bus when a few minutes into their journey, the man sitting close to her turned and started attacking her.

“They started beating me and the other two ladies in the vehicle. When they were done, they asked what I do for a living, I lied that I was a teacher that just resigned. They asked how much I earned, I said it was less than N30,000. Then they asked about my husband, I said he too is a poor trader.

“They checked my bag, saw my ATM card, and requested my PIN. They emptied my account, collected all the cash on me and asked me to call my family that they were taking us to Kaduna and that one Alhaji was going to use us for a ritual but if we could call someone to pay a ransom of N1m they would release us,” he narrated.

Opeyemi stated that the abductors kept driving around the city to give her time to speak with her family members to raise funds for her release.

She added that around midnight, her husband and colleagues were able to raise N1 million that were sent to the robbers before she was released.

Opeyemi explained that the money was sent into her account while the robbers withdrew the money from a Point of Sale (POS) operator.

Responding to the issue, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said the police are working hard to end the activities of kidnappers and “one-chance” operators in the capital city.

“If we tell you what we are doing now, the goal will be defeated but I can tell you that we are working on it,” she said.