A clearing agent in Lagos hasnarrated how he miraculously
escaped death at the hands of a
gang that abducted him on his
way to work.
He told Daily Sun that he was
picked up at the popular Cele
Bus Stop on Oshodi-Mile 2
Expressway, as he waited for a
ride to Apapa, explaining that
the encounter seemed to him
like a Nollywood movie episode.
Till date, Obasi believes that it
was the Catholic prayer and the
sign of the cross that he made
while in captivity that saved
him on the day he had almost
concluded that it was all over.
A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Peter
Puotege, a Ghanaian working at
SS Mulumba and David Catholic
Church, Lawanson, Lagos, said:
“The sign of the cross is one of
those powerful prayers anyone
could ever make because there
is power in the name of God we
profess. It is a communication
between an individual and the
Holy Trinity – that is God the
Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost. It is an acknowledgment
of God depending on the
intention of the individual.”
Obasi said that was exactly
what he did: Signing himself
from the forehead to chest and
the shoulders once while he
was being shepherded to the
dungeon and again as he was
being asked to go into the
temple apparently to fully
hypnotise him. He said the last
act he made seemingly threw
his guard into disarray. And
while it became obvious that
the man was struggling with
some form of confusion, Obasi
made a quick get-away. He said
as he ran for safety, the guard
warned that he would soon be
caught and brought back no
matter how fast he ran. He said
the money he had on him for a
transaction was not touched.
He explained: “I had come out
at Cele Bus Stop that fateful
morning from my home in Itire,
heading for Tin Can Island
Wharf where I worked as a
clearing agent. I was clutching
my folder containing N35, 000
which was meant for some
transaction at the Tin Can
Island Wharf. As I stood there
waiting for a bus, I never knew
something untoward lay ahead.
“I met a pretty large crowd at
the bus stop and had to stand
poles away from the rest of the
commuters. Everyone was
desperate to get to their
destinations. Having stood for
well over 30 minutes, I was
getting weary. Then suddenly, a
car pulled up before me, with
the driver shouting, Wharf!
Wharf! He was riding alone. As I
rushed in, a man too stormed in
from the left door, and so did a
woman. Three of us sat at the
back; I was sandwiched by the
duo. Another man who also
made it with us, sat in front with
the driver. The car then zoomed
off as quickly as we got in. I
was later to realise that I made
a fatal mistake – that I was
riding with the wrong persons.
“We had barely reached Sanya
Bus Stop when the woman
sitting to my right gave me a
gentle tap on the shoulder. ‘Oh
boy, how are you?’ she said in a
soft voice. I was surprised at
her action. But no sooner did
she touch me than I began to
melt like salt in water. I saw
myself growing very weak.
Before I knew what was
happening, the driver veered off
the road at 2nd Rainbow Bus
Stop; he headed towards
Amuwo Odofin axis. The farther
we went, the weaker I became.
I knew that I was in trouble but I
didn’t have any ounce of energy
to challenge them about where
I was being taken.
“In a short while, the driver
turned and headed towards Ago
Palace Way in Okota. Everyone
of us was silent. Then again he
veered off into an unpaved road
to the left. We kept rocking as
the driver sped along the
bumpy road. Soon, only a few
houses were seen here and
there. We kept heading into the
bush. On and on we went, until
we arrived at a certain
uncompleted house. The driver
hooted and a wiry man flung
the gate open and he drove
straight in.
“I was still in the car when a
man opened the door, smiled at
me and said: ‘You are
welcome!’ Then a man of about
35 years old came forward and
said: ‘Madam wants to see you
upstairs.’ ‘Which madam?’ I
asked and he said I would soon
know. Then he led me all the
way up.”
Obasi said the minutes that
were to follow could have
tragically passed as his last. But
God stepped in at the nick of
time in the most dramatic
manner.
“After going up two or three
rungs, I made the sign of the
cross, muttering, ‘Lord, I put my
hope in you.’ Then my guard
turned, saw me and said: ‘Oh,
you think that will save you?
Let’s wait and see.’ But right in
my mind I said: ‘Yes, this will
save me.’
“In the room upstairs, I saw
with my own eyes, some people
– men and women sitting on the
bare floor in chains crammed
into a dingy corner. Seeing
them, I concluded that the
worst might happen.
“Then my guard motioned to
me to go towards a certain
chamber a few strides away.
The place was veiled with a
dreadful, black piece of cloth.
He demanded that I should
open it and go in. As I got to the
chamber’s entrance, again I
made the sign of the cross.
Drawing closer, I beheld a
dreadful temple. Then turning
towards the man, I asked him:
‘Why do you want to do this to
me?’ But he gave no answer.
So, I retreated towards him and
asked him to show me the way
out, and he obliged me. In fact,
he led the way.
“The moment we emerged from
the house, it appeared that he
was struggling with some form
of confusion. The rest of the
people in the compound kept
looking at us. I then took some
quick steps towards the gate
and bolted, running as fast as I
could. As I ran, I heard the
man’s voice ringing behind me
saying: ‘So you think you are
running away? We will soon
catch you. We will allow you
exhaust yourself before we get
you. We will soon bring you
back; just keep running.’”
Obasi said as he ran, he
couldn’t say if he was dead or
alive. He was simply running for
his dear life in a particular
direction, encumbered by
shrubs and undergrowth. He
was falling as he ran, but he
was not deterred. He said for
more that 20 minutes he was
continuously running, not
minding if anyone was after
him.
“When I got to a point, I paused
to gather strength. I was like a
man in a trance. I was
wondering what happened.
Then I began running again in a
particular direction until I
arrived at the same road
through which we came. I saw a
woman selling sachet water and
hurried to her. I grabbed a pack
but before I drank it, I made the
sign of the cross again, fearing
that the woman might be one of
them. Then I gulped it.
“As I drank, the woman said to
me: ‘Aaaa, you are lucky o o o!
I know you escaped from there,’
pointing in the direction of the
ritualists’ den. ‘You must hurry
away quickly before they come
after you. They must be after
you. This is usually where they
come to re-arrest escapees.
They know that you must burst
out at this spot.’
“Hearing that, I hurried off
again. I dashed into the bush
and kept running. Having run
deep into the bush, I began
fearing for my life. So, I headed
for the same road in another
direction. This time, I could see
buildings around. People who
saw me sensed I was escaping
from danger meaning that they
knew about the existence of the
ritualists in the area.
“Then I saw a commercial
motorcyclist, arriving after
dropping off a passenger. I
quickly mounted his bike and
told him to take me to
anywhere along Ago Palace
Way. I did not even wait to
bargain for the fare. From
there, I headed straight home,
wondering whether the
encounter happened in a
midday dream.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State
Police Command has said that
the police were not aware of
the existence of such evil gang.
In a telephone chat with Daily
Sun, the Police Public Relations
Officer, (PPRO) of the
command, Joseph Offor, a
Deputy Superintendent of
Police), said he had no
knowledge of such
development. He then promised
to contact the police
establishment in Okota area
over the matter.
[Reported By Cosmas Omegoh,
Daily Sun]
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