Juliana Francis
Gift Tasie, 22, has revealed how members of his gang attacked the house of a magistrate in Rumuagholu, Rivers State, abducted his daughter and then demanded for N10 million ransom.
Tasie, an orphan dropped out of school following the death of his parents.
MY STORY
It was because I needed to survive that made me to join a gang, led by Ihekazi Igwe. He initiated me into Icelander Cult Group. On the day of the incident, I joined them at an agreed location at Omagwa. When I got there, Ihekazi, Ibuchi, Bright and Sampson Aaron were already on ground with their guns.
We drove to the house. I was given a machete and instructed to watch out for vigilante boys. After about an hour, they drove out with another car and inside the car was the magistrate’s daughter. When we got to the bush, they shared all the valuables stolen from the house. I was given N10, 000 and a wrapper. I was asked to go home because I live with my sister, and if she didn’t see me in more 24 hours, she could raise alarm. When I called them the next day, they told me that they asked the family to pay N4million. I was waiting to be called to collect my share when Ihekazi called to say that the lady had escaped. I wanted to use my share to start a business. I am sorry, it was poverty that led me into crime.
THE MAGISTRATE’S STORY
The invaders spent more than an hour scouting for valuables before packing all they found inside one of my cars, and then abducted my 25 years old daughter. They withdrew N100, 000 from my daughter’s account through her ATM. They contacted me the second day, demanding N10million as ransom. We started negotiating, but the kidnappers, who refused to accept the amount we offered, promised to call back the next day and then switched off their phone. Luckily, my daughter escaped and ran back home.
My daughter was on her monthly menstrual cycle at the time she was abducted. She was experiencing pains and begging her abductors to help her to get a relief. They offered to buy her a bottle of Chelsea. One of the kidnappers volunteered to go into town to buy it. When he wasted time, the second guy decided to go and check on him. The only one left to guard her also left after waiting 30 minutes for the return of others. He went to find out what was keeping others. Sensing that she was alone in the forest, she started screaming. She started praying and shouting the name Jesus and promised herself that if after shouting the name Jesus about 100 times, she will try to escape. After some minutes, she untied herself and started running back to the road, where a Good Samaritan gave her transport fare back home. She told me that she was held at Rukpokwu Forest in Obi Akpor Local Government Area.
First Published 2020
