Kidnapped for 9 Days, N80 Million Ransom Demanded – Enugu Businessman tells his Story in Court

A businessman, Mr Obi, on Tuesday told an Enugu High Court that three suspects abducted him and tied his face with cloth for nine days.

Narrating the incident, Obi said that the suspects followed him as he left a restaurant and dragged him into a vehicle and took him to an unknown place with a gun pointed at him. He said that they collected his valuables which included a wristwatch, a wedding ring, a chain and money and later covered his face.

The victim said that they kept him in a room for nine days without food and water, adding that they tied his legs and hands and were slapping him with a cutlass as he screamed for help.

Obi said that the suspects later demanded for N80 million ransom from his family but settled for N5 million after negotiations.

He said that it was in the process of collecting the money that his elder brother identified one of the suspects while he identified another one through his voice.

He said that the suspects took him in a car booth on the ninth day, handed him a naira note and dropped him in a bush where he managed to untie himself. Obi said that he crawled till he got to a road where a motorcyclist took him to Eke in Udi Local Government Area.

The suspects, Ejike Ezenabo, Paul Okwudili and Chidi Okereke pleaded not guilty to the charges bothering on robbery and unlawful detention of the victim. Justice Catherine Nwobodo adjourned the matter till Feb. 29 for continuation of hearing.