Woman petitions police on threat to life after release by kidnappers ~ Truth Reporters

 

By Foster Akpore

A kidnap victim, Mrs Franca Esiri has on Sunday 3rd October 2021 petitioned the Nigeria Police to unmask the identity of an anonymous caller who threatened to kill her, a day after she was released from the kidnappers den after paying ransom of Five Million Naira (N5,000,000) in a petition contained in a report she made available to newsmen after she incidented it at Force C.I.D. Annex, Alagbon, Lagos. 

According to Mrs Esiri, “on Monday September 27, 2021, at about 1900hrs, while I was driving a black Toyota 4Runner Jeep with registration number Lagos JJJ 181 BQ along Ogunlana Drive, Surulere, suddenly, in what looks like a gestapo style operation, I was stopped by six gun-wielding men with face mask, with a three-three sitting arrangement on the two motorcycles they came with and four of them came down, forced me to open the door, took over the steering of my vehicle, covered my face and took me with my vehicle to an unknown destination.” 

She further stated that “it was when they got to the place that reality dawned on me that they were kidnappers. Some hours later, they asked me to call my family members and demanded a ransom of Five Million Naira only (N5,000,000.00) with a warning not to involve the police or else I will be killed.”

Although she finally secured her freedom to join her family after the payment of the ransom on Friday 1st October at about 1600hrs, the day Nigeria was celebrating her Independence Anniversary, but surprisingly, while still basking in the euphoria of her release, a dramatic twist occurred on Saturday 2nd October, 2021, when, according to her, “one anonymous call came in on my phone (which was also released to me on gaining my freedom) with a strange voice with serious threat to my life because the person said, “this time it’s not about ransom, it’s about your life or else you should run and never return to this country again.” 

In a related development, the husband of the kidnapped woman, Mr. Ovie Esiri, while speaking on the phone with Truth Reporters, said “I am glad that my wife had been released and unharmed, which was the most important thing.” 

While decrying the present state of insecurity in the land, Mr. Esiri further narrated that, in his words, “some months ago, I was lucky to have evaded an incident with men of the underworld due to my quick thinking and aggressive driving which helped me escape the men whom I think were either armed robbers or kidnappers on the prowl”

Concluding, Mrs Esiri expressed her implicit confidence in the ability of the Nigeria Police to secure her life and unmask the identity of the caller and bring them to book, because “my life is not safe anymore, hence involving the police to tell them how things has been going on before and look for possible solution to secure my life”, she added.

Confirming the story, Inspr. Mamudo Musa of FCID, Alagbon-Ikoyi, stated that the “case was recorded and incidented while Detective Julius Omodara and team have been detailed for discreet investigation.”