Published 23rd Apr, 2022

By Precious Ewuji

Nofisat Bakare, an apprentice chef, has narrated her experience in the hands of kidnappers after she was abducted on Easter Monday while on a visit to her parents.

Bakare, an Agege resident, told FIJ she had boarded a Mowe-bound bus from Berger area of Lagos State in a bid to pay her parents, who reside in Mowe, Ogun State, a surprise visit.

“My family resides in Mowe, Ogun state. However, I work as an apprentice chef at a catering services outfit in Agege, Lagos State. So, I squat with a friend in Agege and go to Mowe, whenever I could,” she said.

“On April 17, I mean Easter Monday, I decided to surprise my parents with a visit. Unfortunately, when I got to the motor park in Agege, I could not get a bus that would take me directly to Mowe.”

The apprentice said she eventually decided to first board a bus to Berger.

“My plan was to get a bus going to Mowe, once I got to Berger. Eventually, a bus came along,” Bakare said.

“Only three passengers were inside the bus when I boarded it. As soon as I entered, the conductor shut the door and windows. I did not initially smell any foul play because I was familiar with the route.

“Shockingly, the driver suddenly left the express way and took a narrow path. I immediately demanded to know why he left the main road. His response to me was that it was because he wanted to ‘beat traffic’.

“I decided to believe him, thinking all he was doing would eventually favour the passengers.”

That, however, was the last thing Bakare remembered.

When Bakare woke up she found herself in an abandoned building, surrounded by a thick bush.

“I could not find my phone or bag. But from the darkness outside the hut, I knew it was already late. When I re-assessed the situation, it eventually dawned on me that I had been kidnapped,” Bakare said.

“I Immediately cried for help but the man who had been pretending to be a conductor in the bus told me to shut up. The other three people that I thought were fellow passengers were also part of the kidnappers. They mocked and laughed at me as I screamed.

“They told me that my ‘buyer’ would soon come for me and that I needed not waste my energy shouting. I begged them to let me go but they refused,” she said.

The apprentice said she soon overheard one of the kidnappers speak to someone over the phone.

“The one making the call was asking the person he was talking to when he would ‘show up.’ I believed he was calling the ‘buyer’ they had been waiting for. This was when I decided I had to fight for my life,” she said.

“Since my arms and legs were not tied, I decided to stand up. All the while, my abductors were outside the building making phone calls. I left the slippers I wore on the floor and quietly walked towards the back of the building.”

Bakare would find a small open window at the back of the building.

“I instantly jumped out of the window and into the dark as soon as I found the opening. I did not know where I was going, but I ran as fast as I could,” she added.

The apprentice said she eventually ran into a hunter the moment she made it to a footpath.

“He was carrying a locally made gun. He was also wearing a cap that had something like a lamp on it. He saw me shaking and asked what was wrong. I told him what had happened. He then told me to be calm and that he would protect me,” Bakare added.

She said she finally reached out to her mother via the hunter’s phone and told her she was safe.

“I slept over at the hunter’s house with his family that night. The following morning my parents came to pick me and we went to the police station at Ibafo, Ogun State.”

Bakare said her phone had been switched off since the kidnappers took possession of it. She also said the policemen in Ibafo are still not able to apprehend the kidnappers.

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