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What our abductors told us — Methodist Prelate

Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Samuel Kanu Uche, who was abducted by gunmen in Abia State on Sunday, has said his abductors told him they would chew President Muhammadu Buhari if he became their victim.

Uche disclosed that the assailants told him the President disappointed them.

He made the disclosure while speaking at a press conference held at the Hoare’s Memorial Methodist Church, Yaba, in Lagos on Tuesday, following his release on Monday.

The cleric, who was abducted with two others on Sunday, said his abductors were paid the sum of N100 million as ransom to secure his release from captivity.

Recounting his experience, Uche disclosed that the eight-man gang was made up of “Fulani boys” who claimed to be against the government.

The Prelate said: “In order to catch up with my flight at 4pm, we took off by 2pm to go to the airport, oblivious of the fact that kidnappers were waiting on the road.

“As we were descending to Ileru in Abia State, they came out from the bush and divided themselves into three groups.

“Some were at the back, some at the centre. Then there was another group in front to make sure we did not run away. They fired shots at our vehicle and eventually abducted three of us. The communication man of the church and the driver escaped.

“They took us into the bush and tortured us. In the process of the torture, I hit my right eye on a tree and even when blood was flowing and was soaking my handkerchief, they did not feel like anything happened. All they said was that we should follow them.

“They even said that if they get Buhari, they will chew him to pieces because he had disappointed them.

“We were taken into the bush and we trekked up to 15 kilometres. Eventually at 11pm, they said we should negotiate and each of us should pay N50m, making N150m.

“They pointed their guns at us. They threatened that if we involved the DSS, police or Army, they would kill us.

“They said down there, there is a gully of seven decomposing bodies and we cut off their heads. We also perceived the odour of killed human beings.

“Their leader asked for five Ghana-Must-Go bags for the N100m. He also said Lagos is on their radar.

“I am asking that the government should act now before another thing starts to happen.

“The Methodist church sent N100m for the three of us who were kidnapped. The money came from members of the Methodist Church of Nigeria. The Nigerian Army is complicit in the kidnapping,” Uche disclosed.

The Star