An undergraduate of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Marvelous Omobobola, who was abducted by a kidnap syndicate in the state, has been released after a N200,000 ransom payment. The student was kidnapped on Saturday, November 19, while returning from the school where he had gone to sign a SIWES form.
Narrating his ordeal, Omobobola explained that he boarded a tricycle at about 5 pm on the day of the incident, alongside three other passengers, and was going back to his hostel located in the Odogunyan area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, when the tricycle operated decided to divert to an adjoining street due to traffic on the main road.
The 28-year-old student added that while on the street, the tricycle operator suddenly stopped by the roadside and a group of gun-wielding men pounced on them and moved them into a bus that had other victims in it already.
He said the tricycle operator left to bring more victims, while the kidnappers seized their phones to stop them from getting help.
They were then taken into the bush where some human traffickers were said to have taken turns buying them from the kidnappers. Some of the victims were reportedly killed and their body parts were sold to "decently dressed" people who patronize the syndicate.
Omobobola was however spared when one of the kidnappers shelved him aside after seeing a religious incision on his wrist. The student was told to contact his family to secure his release, to which a ransom of 700,000 was demanded, but they later settled for 200,000.
His mother was able to raise N100,000 which was sent to his account. The kidnappers used his ATM card to withdraw the money from a Point-of-Sale operator and proceeded to use his phone number to borrow N100,000 from online credit companies which were also withdrawn before his release on Sunday, November 20.
