By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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Freed kidnapped victims, who were abducted recently while traveling along irele/Oke -Ako road, in Ajoni Local Council Development Area (LCDA) have revealed that their abductors forced them to treck in thick forest barefooted for several kilometers.
The victims, a serving school principal, two classroom teachers and a Nurse, were last week held hostage by kidnappers at Irele Ekiti, a border town with Kogi State and were in the kidnappers custody for over a week.
They recounted their ordeals in the hands of the gunwielding bandits to the Chairman of the LCDA Mr. Michael Ogungbemi, who paid them a visit at an undisclosed hospital where they are currently receiving treatment.
According to them, their captors were non-Yoruba and majorly illiterates, who could hardly speak, read or write English.
Narrating their odyssey, the victims, who do not want their names mentioned in print said they were forced to trek throughout the night to neighbouring states covering over 50 kilometres inside a sprawling forest between Ekiti and Kogi States
“We trekked several kilometes. That actually created psychological trauma for us. We sustained bodily bruises, as we walked in the dark in the thick and thin forests.
“What we found so surprising was that the abductors said they were into the criminal business as a result of the current economic challenges that is affecting all citizens negatively.
“They said they have no mercy for anybody. That whoever they pick must pay ransom or face death.
The victims are now receiving treatment, after being exposed to harsh weather condition for several days and bodily bruises sustained during the long and tortuous night treks in the kidnappers’ den.
Wishing the victims quick recuperation, the council boss, reiterated the government’s commitment to improving the local security networks to fortify the borders and forests in Ajoni territories.
He also commended both the local and conventional security agencies involved in the rescue mission, saying their bravery helped in recovering the abducted citizens.
