A witness in a kidnap or assassination saga, Mr. Adebesin Abiodun Sunday, has revealed what transpired in a gory incident on September 1, 2023 which left him traumatized till date.
The man, a Christian, resident at No. 14, Oyeta Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos State, Nigeria, recounted that on that fateful day, he, his fiancé, Miss Adebodu and driver, Mr. Isah Abdullai, were traveling in his Silver coloured Toyota Venza marked BEN 61 SK, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
He said: “At about 3:25 p.m., a black SUV trailed us suspiciously, then suddenly blocked our path. My driver attempted to reverse but the vehicle got stuck in a drainage.
“Terrified, I quickly jumped out of the vehicle and ran into the bush; in the confusion, I lost sight of my fiancée and driver. But from my hiding place, I helplessly watched three masked, armed men break into my car, drag out my fiancée and driver, and forced them into their SUV and sped off.
“I immediately reported the incident to the Police, providing my graphic account and description of the kidnappers’ vehicle.”
Mr. Adebesin believed that he was the target of the attack, having overheard the kidnappers speaking in Hausa language, insisting that “they must get me.”
He recalled further: “Although the ordeal lasted few minutes, yet it felt like an eternity.
“The terrified faces of my fiancée and driver, their cries for help, and the sound of shattering glass still haunt me.”
However, Police investigation suggested the incident was connected to a conflict over kingship rights in the Adebesin extended family.
The kidnappers kept Miss Adebodu incommunicado for almost four months. On December 29, 2023, she was found drugged and dumped while the driver was killed.
Miss Adebodu and the driver’s corpse were abandoned near the Isheri North River, Lagos State. She was rushed to the hospital but was died on December 30, 2023.
“I have continued to live with the pains of escaping unharmed while the woman I loved lost her life in such a cruel manner.
“I seek justice for her and pray that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to book,” Adebesin told our reporter.