Ifreke Udoh (not his real name), a 21-year-old man left his father’s house in Osongama Housing Estate, Uyo to pick a form for Higher National Diploma (HND) programme. However, Ifreke who hails from Etinan local government area could not reach the school nor could he return to his parents’ house until the next day.
Excerpts
On Friday, March 23, 2018, I wanted to go to Heritage Polytechnic, Eket to collect HND form in Accountancy. I trekked few metres and stopped at Obong Sylvanus Okon, Street, Uyo by the popular six lanes. I boarded a tricycle also known as keke.
I stopped at Aka-Udo Udoma junction. From here, I boarded another tricycle heading to Nung Oku junction from where I was to board a taxi-cab to Heritage Polytechnic, Eket, Akwa Ibom State to collect the HND form. As the tricycle with two passengers was going to the park, a passenger stopped and disembarked.
Not long, a Landcruiser jeep pulled up. The tricycle operator jumped out and a fellow passenger ran out too. As I wanted to run too, a “policeman” came, grabbed and dragged me out. The fellow occupant in the jeep joined and threw me into the car. As soon as I was thrown into the car, the occupants (policeman and a civilian) threw a dark cloth over my head and covered my face. They removed my telephone and disabled it.
By this time, I had slept off. I became unconscious and was taken to an unknown destination. After an hour, my parents said they made a telephone call to me and my telephone did not go. Disturbed, my parents said they had to call our pastor in one of the new generation churches in Uyo to intercede. They were said to have called other siblings and members in their churches to pray for divine intervention.
In the thick of the night, I became faintly conscious of the happenings in the house, though I could not understand the location and name of the street. By this time, I knew I was in ritual killers’den. By this time, a ‘big man’ escorted by other men including the fake policeman came into the room with other people taken captive by the ‘policeman.’
“The big man nicknamed capoon started assessing the ‘animals for sacrifice.’ As he came to me, he exclaimed ‘Who brought this? Return him to his place in the morning. He does not belong here. The other persons are okay for us,” Ifreke reminisced.
In the morning, the team that abducted me escorted me to Udo Udoma Avenue. In the front of Ibibio Museum Park along Udo Udoma Aveneu, Uyo, they pulled up their car, threw me out and sped off.
I stood there for along time without knowing myself. By 6 a.m. I managed to trek a while and boarded a trycycle heading to Oron Road from there I joined another one that took me to six lanes in Uyo. I headed home and saw my parents and my siblings.
I thank God for delivering from evil men and for sparing my life. Praise the Lord!
(A living testimony given in an unnamed Pentecostal Church in Uyo due to security reason)
