67-Year-Old Ondo Imam Recounts Bitter Ordeal With Kidnappers

The Chief Imam of Uso in Owo Local Council of Ondo State, Alhaji Ibrahim Bodunde, has narrated an account of the bitter experiences he endured while being held captive by kidnappers.

Bodunde, who was kidnapped a few days ago while tending to his farm at Asolo Camp, shared the horrifying details of his abduction on Tuesday at the Police headquarters in Akure, Ondo State capital.

According to the imam, his captors unleashed anger and frustration upon discovering his inability to communicate in English during their interrogations.

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The kidnappers demanded a staggering N10 million ransom for the release of the revered imam. Eventually, after negotiations and immense pressure on his family, a sum of two million naira was paid as ransom.

Following the payment, the captors reluctantly led Bodunde back to his farm, where he was finally freed.

Recalling the grueling journey he was forced to endure, Bodunde disclosed that he was made to trek tirelessly for six arduous hours through dense forest before reaching the kidnappers’ hideout.

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“When we arrived at their den, they put my back to a tree and tied my hands to my back. My legs were also tied. They (the kidnappers) did not give me food or water for 48 hours.

“Before I was kidnapped, they had information about me as they reeled out my dossier to me.

“They insisted that I should speak to them in pidgin English and not Yoruba. Each time I mistakenly speak Yoruba, I will be beaten mercilessly, ” he recounted.