introduction

Stories of kidnappings have become a recurring decimal in Nigeria. It has almost become the most lucrative business to run a kidnapping syndicate, as kidnappers demand very huge amount of money, as ransoms from the families of their victims. Indeed the Nigerian media is awash with news of kidnappings almost on daily basis, because hardly a day passes without news of kidnappings here, and there.

Mr, and Mrs Chike Odegwu could never in their wildest imagination contemplate that any member of their family could ever be kidnapped by anybody in his right sense of mind, because to them kidnappers only go the family of those who have money—who could afford the huge ransom which the kidnappers demand from their victims families, which ranges usually from #500,000, to #200million etc, and sometimes the kidnappers insist that they must be paid in Dollars.

And so to Mr. and Mrs. Chike Odegwu, it was almost like a taboo for anybody to think of kidnapping anybody from their family. Imagine a family who could hardly afford three square meals per day, who more often than not, cook without meat or even fish, who cook what the children call “ Red rice “ which simply means using red oil—palm oil, maggi, crayfish and pepper only to cook Jellof rice, which the family eat just to keep body and soul together. A family of six who eat just to survive, and not for nourishment.
But tragedy struck on Tuesday,25th September, 2021, when Mrs. Chinyere Chike Odegwu sent her first daughter, Ugonma Chike, a girl of 15 years to go and collect #500 from Madam Ebere, whom she sold some crayfish to ; because that is what she does for a living, to help her husband who is a carpenter at a nearby shed.
Ugonma left their house around 2pm, but could not be back home even around 5pm, her mother became so worried, and went to Madam Ebere's house to know why her daughter was not yet back ; only for Madam Ebere to tell her that Ugonma came to her house around 2:30 pm , and that she gave her the #500, and she left, and so had no idea why she is not yet back home.
And so, Ugonma's father was alerted , and he mobilized efforts to search for Ugonma at every nook and cranny ; all to no avail.

However at around 7pm his phone rang, and a srange voice asked him whether he is Chike Odegwu, Ugonma's father, and he said yes, then the strange voice stated, “ Ugonma Chike is in our hands , and you must send us #2million if you want her back home alive. “ Indeed, on hearing this Mr. Chike almost dropped dead. He could barely summon courage to relate the news to his wife and other family members around. He could not believe his ears how his 15 year old daughter among six children of four boys and two girls would be in the hands of kidnappers. He thought to himself, “ This must be a dream and soon it would be morning and I would wake up from this nightmare “
Consequently, the entire village was thrown into utter shock and disbelief. Mr. Chike reported to the police who seemed clearly helpless to handle the situation.
Meanwhile, Ugonma, was taken to an uncompleted building in a very ghostly, lonely, bushy place ; as the kidnappers started sharing the money they got from their previous kidnapping exploits, trouble ensued as one of the gang members known as “ Stone Face “ pulled out his pistol and aimed it at “ Slow Poison “ another member of the gang there was utter confusion , and commotion in the camp. And in the midst of the confusion, Ugonma stooped down and carefully removed the black cloth which they blind-folded her with , and quickly crawled into another direction in the bush, and because it was getting dark, Ugonma ran out of the camp undetected and after she ran into safety, she met a cyclist , and pleaded with him to take her out of the area, and she narrated her ordeal to the good Samaritan, and the man took her down to her parents, and it was around 10pm that Ugonma came back home.
She narrated her ordeal to the members of her family, and there was wild jubilation.