76-yr-old woman escapes from kidnappers den

MRS. Otiti Esegba, a 76 year-old grandmother, escaped from the den of her abductors about five hours after she was abducted, Monday.

She was abducted at 2a.m. by a five-man kidnap gang at Akperhe community in Olomu kingdom, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State and taken away on a motorcycle to their den at Oviri Olomu.

Mrs. Esegba is the mother of the Managing Director of Ben-Segba Technical Services Limited, an oil servicing firm in Ekpan.

Mrs. Otiti Esegba

Same day, a medical practitioner, Dr. Richard Kofi, a native of Okpare community, also in Olomu kingdom was seized as he was entering his clinic in Ughelli. He also escaped from his kidnappers.

Prior to the Esegba and Kofi episodes, a lawyer, Mr. Omonemu, was kidnapped by the gang and kept for 20 days before he regained freedom.

Mrs. Esegba, whose pleas to the kidnappers to free her fell on deaf ears, said she began to pray that God should make the two kidnappers guarding her to fall asleep. She said they actually fell asleep. That was when she ran.

The other three had left to go and abduct more victims, saying they needed more money.

She told Vanguard: “At about 2a.m., while I was asleep, I heard a deafening noise but before I knew it, two heavily armed men stormed into the house and seized me after pulling down my door.

“Three others, also armed, joined them and ransacked the house, took my jewelries, my clothes and money. They started beating and hitting me with guns.

“Thereafter, I was dragged onto one of the waiting motorcycles, popularly known as okada. One sat behind me and the three others took the other okada. The one seated behind me held my mouth and I was blind-folded.”

When she escaped, a fisherman took her in.

She said: “He took me to his home at a place I later found out to be Oviri-Olomu, after hearing my story.

“At his home I found out that he was married to my niece. They clothed me as I was almost naked.”

“This man called my people at Akperhe at 6a.m. They came and alerted Oviri community leadership. That is my story.”