Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri
The traditional ruler of Umudi in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State, Eze Joel Udenkwo, who was kidnapped last Friday, has said that he escaped from the kidnapper’s den Monday night after he untied his legs and hands.
Udenkwo, who disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri, said that he was dumped in a forest in Okwu, Ikeduru LGA.
According to him, he was able to escape when one of the kidnappers went out to smoke and the other one was sleeping.
He said: “I was kept in a forest in Okwu village, Ikeduru Local Government Area. My legs and hands were tied up with a rope and I was kept at a place as they waited for their N200 million ransom. It was later reduced to N12 million but while they were waiting for the money to be sent, one of the abductors went to sleep while the other went to smoke Indian hemp.
“It was when I noticed that the two men were nowhere around me that I carefully untied myself, quietly crawled and left the scene. I meandered through the bush and found safety at a nearby house, where I called out to the occupants whom I narrated my ordeal and begged them to help me call a monarch around the community, after identifying myself as a monarch. Meanwhile, this was happening around 10 pm.
“On getting to the monarch’s place, he then linked up with the Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers who called in the police and the DSS who came and took me away,” the monarch said.
Reacting, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Michael Abattam, said briefly, “We are aware that the traditional ruler is out from the kidnapper’s den.”
