The Lagos Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Wahab Oba, has said that N3m was seized from them by the gunmen who kidnapped him and three other journalists in Abia State on July 11.

Narrating their ordeal in the hands of their captors at the Abia State Police headquarters, Umuahia, Oba said they were dropped off by the gunmen at a bush path in Ukpakiri, Obingwa Local Government Area, at about 1.30am on Sunday.

He said they had to wait till 6am before walking to Ukpakiri market where an unnamed community leader took them to the state police command.

Although Oba maintained that they were not maltreated by the kidnappers, he explained that they were blindfolded and kept under trees at the mercy of “dangerous elements.”

He said, “The kidnappers never allowed us to stay at a particular place for long as they kept moving us from place to place due to the pressure from the police who were looking for us.

“We were blindfolded all the time and thus did not know where we were at any particular time. But the kidnappers robbed us of our possessions, and shared the booty among themselves.

“They collected everything we had; wristwatches, money and shared everything. I saw my shoes; I saw my laptop computer being shared. Somebody even put on my wristwatch there in the bush. We had to part with N3m before they agreed to release us.”

The kidnappers had initially demanded a N250m ransom but Oba said they later claimed they were not really interested in the ransom.

“They said they were driven to criminality to protest government neglect,” the Lagos NUJ boss said, insisting that no ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

Oba, the Zonal Secretary, NUJ, Zone G, Mr. Adolphus Okonkwo; the Secretary of the Lagos State NUJ council, Mr. Sylva Okereke; a council member, Mr. Sola Oyeyipo; and their driver, Mr. Azeez Yekini, were kidnapped on their way from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State where they had attended an NUJ National Executive Committee meeting.

Looking unkempt as they narrated their ordeal in the kidnappers’ den, they said they were happy regaining their freedom.

Oba also said they had already given up and sent oral wills to their families because the kidnappers “were always telling us to say our last prayers.”

He added that for the first time in his life, he “had a different impression about the Nigeria Police Force with the way they operated.”

He, however, did not explain what he meant by a different impression.

“Let us fight for our dear nation, ourselves and do things that will improve the police,” Oba said, adding that the police could not fight crime with their current condition.

“We are proud to be Nigerians and we will continue to fight for good causes,” Oba added.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, who presented the freed journalists to Governor Theordore Orji said that the police had just started a two-pronged war against kidnappers.

“The release and handing over of the journalists is the first stage and the second stage is to go after the kidnappers,’’ he said.

Noting that stage two would not be easy, Onovo pointed out that “while going after kidnappers, we will inconvenience some innocent people living within their areas.”

The IG appealed to the kidnappers to surrender but warned that “if they refuse, we will have no option than to confront them headlong.”

He explained that policing in a democratic state required a lot of care, but pointed out that “our care not to hurt innocent people should not be taken for weakness.”

Onovo said that after combing some areas in Obingwa LGA on July 11, the police re-strategised and were able to locate the hide-out of the kidnappers.

He said, “We strategised. I deployed a contingent to start combing the bush, house- to -house search and with a charge to rescue the journalists alive because if there is confrontation, we don’t know who will survive the assault.

“We also came in with tracking equipment and we were able to locate an axis in Obingwa LGA where the kidnappers were. We also deployed a police helicopter that came close to the hiding place of the kidnappers.

“Every second, every minute, you could feel the tension. Each minute was like a year. (But) today, I’m happy to announce that sitting before you are Oba, Okonkwo, Okereke, Oyeyipo, and Yekini.”

“I am happy to announce to you that the journalists are sitting in our midst live,” he told Orji.

Turning to Oba, Okereke, Okonkwo, Oyeyipo and Yekini, he said, “We welcome you back to civilisation after your experience in the jungle.”

Responding, Orji said he was “extremely happy” that the journalists and their driver came out alive.

He added that their abduction had posed a very big challenge not only to him but also to Onovo.

Orji who sympathised with the journalists for their ordeal in the hands of the gunmen, warned criminals in the state to change their ways.

“Let them remove their hands from this nonsense. If they are agitating, this is not the best way,” he said.

Orji noted that rather than attract development to their areas, the criminals were indeed under-developing their areas because no contractor can execute any project in the crime -prone places.

He also said the state government had not received any money from the Federal Government on the amnesty programme as alleged by the kidnappers.

The governor, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue, said the Federal Government had not released such money to the state government.

But the governor promised that if such money was received, it would be released.

He also denied allegation that his government was marginalising Ukwa Ngwa in terms of development.

An elated Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, and the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, who welcomed the release of the journalists, advised Nigerians to “Stand up against criminals.’’

Akunyili, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, said that the payment of ransom had made kidnapping an industry.

“I just feel so happy that our brothers are safe and no one succumbed to the threat of the kidnappers who are criminals that go about torturing people emotionally,’’ she said.

Adefaye recommended that “a harsh example be made of deviants to put an end to kidnapping.”

Oba and his colleagues arrived in Lagos in company with the National President of NUJ, Mr. Mohammed Garba, who claimed that the only ransom paid the kidnappers was a N5,000 recharge card sent to them.

Oba said at the NUJ press centre that the Nigeria Police Force deserved commendation for displaying high “professional and scientific” conduct to secure their release.

He, however, added that there was a time he was told by one of the gunmen that they were going to use him “for a sacrifice to the gods.”

The Lagos NUJ chief said, “At that time, I told one of my colleagues to tell my wife not to bother about me anymore beacuse the boys had all sorts of sophisticated weapons. But when the bush became too tough for them too, they had to release us.

While thanking President Goodluck Jonathan for his concern for their safety, Oba noted that unemployment was the major reason for the high level of kidnapping in the country.

He later told one of our correspondents that the total value of the items they lost to the kidnappers was about N5m, including about N3m cash.

Asked how they came about the N3m, he said, “When we went for the NEC meeting, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Godswill Akpabio, gave us N1m as fulfilment of his promise to bankroll a national seminar which we had in the state three months ago.

“He also gave each NEC official N100,000 as transport fare. I also had some money on me because I had been travelling recently. Other people had some money on them too.

“The kidnappers collected all the money. If you value what they collected from us in terms of cash and other things, it is almost N5m. We had about N2.6m cash and the car which we bought not long ago valued at N2.4m was also stolen.”

He said that the police did a lot to frighten the kidnappers as they were seen pounding the whole area.

He said, “The police actually did the magic. They pounded the village every minute. They boys were frightened. They even heard in the news that the polcie were tracking them. They became careful in order to escape arrest.”