They came for my husband but took me instead — Ondo kidnap victim
By Boye Oyeyemi
A 35-year-old woman, Mrs Morenike Falona, who recently regained freedom after spending four days in captivity, has narrated her experience in the hands of suspected kidnappers who abducted her from her residence in Ode-Irele, Ondo State.
Falona, wife of a motorcycle dealer, was kidnapped last week but was rescued through a security operation. She was briefly hospitalised after regaining freedom and has since reunited with her family.
Speaking during a thank-you visit to the palace of the Olofun of Irele, Oba Omopariola Odimayo, the victim said the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. while she was preparing a meal in her kitchen.
She said she rushed outside after hearing a commotion and found four armed men attempting to force her husband into his vehicle. According to her, her husband managed to escape, prompting the gunmen to seize her instead and whisk her away.
“I raised the alarm when I saw the armed men struggling with my husband. After he escaped, they bundled me into a vehicle, covered my face and tortured me while taking me to an unknown destination,” she said.
She added, “After several hours, they switched vehicles and kept moving me around. About three days later, one of them asked me to speak with my husband and demanded N100 million for my release. But when they realised security operatives were closing in on them, they abandoned me in the bush and fled.”
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the victim was rescued without any ransom being paid, while two suspects linked to the crime were arrested.
Identifying the suspects as Odidifiyan Ajuesi, 36, and Monday Lucky, 42, Jimoh added that they were apprehended through a joint effort involving police operatives, local vigilantes and private security personnel in the Agadagba-Obon and Arogbo axis of Ese-Odo Local Government Area. He also revealed that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang before the suspects are charged to court.
