den at the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo
State, are gradually regaining fitness
and mental ability. Although they have
yet to give full accounts of activities in
the forest, some of them could
remember events leading to their
departure from their normal life.
Recalling their predicament, one of the
victims, Nafiu Shittu, said:
"I am a native of Ibadan, living in
the Foko area of the city. I sold
pile medicine to people. I was
doing the business on the day I
was kidnapped about four months
ago.
"After going round the area
where I had customers, I felt
tired and decided to rest in the
Gate area. Suddenly, a bus
stopped by my side and two men
came out and forced me into the
back seat of the vehicle. That was
all I could remember.
"When I regained consciousness, I
saw myself in a room in the
forest, chained to a wall. I was
too tired to struggle and as the
days passed, I became frail
because I was not given anything
to eat."
He spoke to Punch at the Adeoyo State
Hospital, Yemetu, Ibadan. Speaking in
an almost inaudible whisper and
intermittently pausing, he explained
that he was at work when he was
kidnapped and taken to the forest.
Asked if he was taken there to be
treated for mental illness, Nafiu looked
up sharply and protested: "I am not a
mad man. I am a normal human being.
I was kidnapped and chained in a room
throughout my days in captivity."
Nafiu said he was aware that he was not
the only one in the building, adding that
what baffled him was that he heard
voices of people passing outside the
building regularly.
"There were other people, including
young and adult women, who cried
daily. I saw dead bodies being taken
out frequently, but I don't know if they
were killed. Maybe they died of hunger.
People moved around the building, but
I don't know if they knew we were
there."
Other victims, Wale Atoyebi from Ada in
Osun State and Michael Ola could only
give their names, but another lady, Titi
Dokpesi, explained how she got to the
forest.
She said, "I live at Awolowo compound
in Oke Bola, Ibadan. I am not mad and
I am not an old woman. Two months
ago, I was in front of our house when
some men grabbed me and said I was
under arrest.
"Before I could protest, I was put in a
bus and driven away. We did not go to
any police station and I still don't know
how we reached the forest. I had
N10,000 with me, but they took it. I
am 45 years. In the few months I spent
there, I aged quickly for lack of care.
We were fed once in a week.
"I was kept in the corner of a room,
chained to the wall, so I kept to myself.
I spent most of the time praying to
God. I don't know if anyone gave birth
there, but people were dying," she
added.
Oyo State governor revokes horror
den's C of O
Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Monday, led
members of the State Executive Council
and the security agencies in the state to
the kidnappers' den for an on-the-spot
assessment of the forest.
The governor, who was conducted
round the forest by security chiefs,
expressed sadness at what he called
man's inhumanity to his fellow
man. Ajimobi called for a minute silence
and led prayers for the repose of the
souls of those who died in the
kidnappers' den.
The governor announced the immediate
revocation of the Certificates of
Occupancy of the expansive forest and
directed that the bush be cleared.
He said, "We need to clear this place to
ensure easy access to whatever had
been transpiring in the forest."
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