Edi Umoh
Popular Nigerian comedian, Mathias Odey has recounted the painful experiences one year after his release from kidnappers’ den.
The comedian popularly known as General Odey took to social media on April 3, 2026, in a message entitled A Day I Will Never Forget, describing how his life changed suddenly.
“What started like a normal mid-morning became a moment that tested everything – my strength, my faith, and my will to survive,” he wrote.
General Odey said he was taken from comfort and control into a difficult situation where every moment felt uncertain. Despite the fear, he said, his faith kept him going.
“Fear is real, but faith is stronger. Pain is heavy, but purpose is deeper,” he added, explaining that the experience changed his life and made him stronger.
He announced plans to share his story in a project titled 50 Days in the Den: My Story of Fear, Faith and Freedom.
General Odey was kidnapped on April 18, 2025, alongside 23 others while travelling to Calabar through the Oron/Uyo waterways.
According to him, the attackers fired gunshots and forced their boat to stop before taking them to an unknown location.
Speaking earlier on Channels TV, he described the experience as “horrible and unimaginable.” He said the victims were beaten, starved, and warned not to look at the kidnappers.
He added that they were kept in a creek community, where the kidnappers lived with their families. The captors only allowed them access to phone signals when they wanted to demand ransom.
While some victims were released earlier, General Odey spent 50 days in captivity, saying he was allowed to speak to his wife only twice during that period.
His family later worked with security agents, and after several ransom demands, about ₦8 million was paid before he regained his freedom.
One year after the incident, General Odey says the painful experience did not break him but made him stronger.
