The escape of a Nigerian female kidnap victim from the kidnappers’ den
has led to the discovery of a shrine where inter-state kidnappers and
armed robbers take their victims to hypnotize.
The shrine which
is located in a forest in
Oduke, a neighborhood of Okwe community in
Asaba, capital of Delta state, is presided over by a fake prophet and
his wife, also suspected to be members of the kidnapping/armed robbery syndicate.
Armed robbery and kidnap victims taken there are forced to drink
concoctions to hypnotize them. But the concoction also gives health
complications.
The escape of Mrs. Ojukwu from the shrine however
blew the lid open, after she was dispossessed of her property including
cash. She promptly reported the incident to the police.
It was
gathered that the gang usually entrapped unsuspecting passengers in a
vehicle occupied by the gang members with the driver of the cab
pretending to be a commercial transporter.
Mrs.
Ojukwu who claimed to be a trader in jewelries, said she was going to
Nnewi, in the neighboring state of Anambra on the fateful day when she
ran into the hoodlums along the Onitsha-Owerri expressway in Anambra
state.
According to her, she had flagged down a taxi occupied by the
driver and three passengers including a man and two women and told the
driver that she was going to Nnewi.
She claimed that the driver
reversed the vehicle and headed towards the River Niger Bridge, instead
of going to Nnewi, following which she said they threatened to shoot her
if she raised alarm. A gun was pointed on her head.
According
to her, she was initially taken to the operational base of the hoodlums
in Oduke area of Asaba before she was taken to the shrine which had the
paraphernalia of a Christian worship centre.
Mrs. Ojukwu said
the prophet in-charge of the shrine forced her to drink concoction which
made her to be unconscious, adding that as at the time regained
consciousness, her N.6 million and gold jewelries valued at N1.8 million
were gone.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Ojukwu has taken ill, following a
strange ailment she incurred after allegedly drinking the concoction at
the shrine.
“I have gone to several hospitals to seek solution to
this ailment that is making me to cough to no avail,” she said, adding
doctors were yet to diagnose the strange ailment for possible remedy.
Delta state police command Public Relations Officer, ASP Lucky Uyabeme,
who confirmed the report, said some of the suspects have been arrested
from their hide out.
He said the woman was rushed to a hospital
where doctors confirmed that she was suffering as a result of the
concoction she drank, adding that the victim was still undergoing
medical examination.
According to the police spokesman Uyabeme,
the prophet who forcefully administered the concoction on the victim
scaled the fence when he sighted the police and had since gone
underground.
Delta State once earned the notoriety of being the base of kidnappers in Nigeria.
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