LAGOS MAY 1ST (URHOBOTODAY)-We have heard of kidnapped victims gaining freedom through assistant of security agents or payment of huge ransom to their abductors. But Barr. John Okoriko, an Ughelli based lawyer who was abducted on Friday in Ughelli, Delta state was lucky to have gained freedom from the criminals without the assistant of security agents, neither did he pay any ransom to his abductors who demanded for N100.
The question is how was it possible?
Okoriko was kidnapped about 8.00 pm on Friday along Ughwrekpokpo road close to his residence by four armed men. They abandoned his vehicle and took him in their vehicle all the way from Ughelli to the deep forest of Oghara in Agbarha-Otor Community.
Urhoboday gathered that when they finally settled in the forest after maneuvering with their victim for several hours in the thick forest, they scrolled through his handset and discovered several banks transfer alerts totaling over N150 million. Because of the large sum of bank’s alerts in his handset, the kidnappers demanded for a ransom of N100m but he told them he would be able to pay only N100,000 because the payment alerts in his handset belonged to his boss. For saying he would pay N100, 000, Okoriko received the beating of his life and threat of death until their leader asked them to stop further beating.
Urhobotoday further learnt that by 6. 00 am the next day, Okoriko told his abductors that he should be allowed to ease himself. It was then one of them told him to go to a distance from them, dig the ground and pass his waste there. By then they were still sleeping and the one who told him to go and ease himself did it in sleeping mode.
Our source revealed that while pretending as if he was digging the ground, he was as well planning his strategy for escape. Thus, when Okoriko discovered that his abductors were still fast asleep that morning, he crawled further from them before running helter, skelter into the forest to direction he did not know. All he wanted was to go away from the sight of his abductors. After running far away from his abductors, he became exhausted and decided to rest for few minutes before he started the race again.
It was in course of still running away from his kidnappers that he met an old man with a cutlass in the bush. He explained his dilemma to the old man who told him to he was in a save hand. It was the old man who gave him his handset to call his friend who came to Otokutu village close to Oghara to rescue him.
Urhobotoday also learnt that when Okoriko was kidnapped, his wife discovered N45, 000 in the pidgin whole of his abandoned car which was giving to Ughelli Divisional Police Officer (DPO), but Urhobotoday could not confirm if the DPO return the money to Okoriko’s family.