How My Friend Sold Me To Ritualists For N150,000

Having too many friends sometimes leads to too many wahala. Hearing the story of kidnapped people for ritual purposes or for a ransom is disturbing and with dangerous elements that carry out these dastardly acts roaming freely amongst us, everyone is at risk.

Here is the story of a young man, Timothy Lawani, 25, a trader at Suleja roundabout area in Abuja, who was kidnapped for ritual purpose but survived the ordeal.

Lawani, in an interview with LEADERSHIP's Timothy Opaluwa, said it was God that saved him after he was kidnapped, tied up and was to be sacrificed in Kano.

"We reported the case at A division Police Station in Suleja, but the Policemen demanded the sum of N70,000 in order to start investigation. Since we do not have such amount, we resorted to prayers, and God answered us."

The incident happened at about 4am on January 14, 2015. Lawani went outside his family house at Old Barracks, Suleja to ease himself, when suddenly he heard someone call his name. Walking towards a red Volkswagen Golf parked behind his house, he was surprised to see an old friend, Friday, comfortably seated in the car beckoning on him with two hefty men.

Narrating his story, Lawani said, “In my confused state, I greeted them. One of them held me and the other sprayed a powder on my face. That was the last thing I could remember. I later saw myself in a very large hall with other young men who were tied up. The kidnappers kept bringing other people to join us. Sometimes, they even offered us food to eat which we all refused. They then said, whether we ate or not, we would die after all.

“After two days, we were made to put on white apparels and join a queue. I noticed that anyone who goes out never comes back; I was so scared. When it was my turn, I went outside, saw a large pool of water like swimming pool and a man standing by the side chanting incantations. He later ordered the guards to take me inside that they were not in need of someone like me.”

Continuing, Lawani said, “In my presence, the man called on Friday who came about 40 minutes later. After telling him that I was not acceptable for their rituals, Friday started flogging me mercilessly. He then ordered the men to take me out, but not before the ritualist got angry, and ordered the hefty men to bring Friday for sacrifice in my place. I heard him beg them to give him just 30 minutes to enable him bring another person, but the man said there was no time.

“With Friday’s hands and legs tied, the man began chanting incantations again. This time, I saw crocodiles coming out of the water. Friday was then thrown inside, the reptiles feasted on him. I was not myself because of the sight of blood and how such large reptiles ate up a whole human being. The man later ordered the men to throw me out, that I was useless to them. They sprayed a powder on my face again and I became unconscious.’’

On how he got back to his senses, Lawani recalled that he was sheltered by a Hausa man who saw him wandering in Gomoja area of Kano State.

After prayers were offered for him for about three days, he regained consciousness but could not speak. It was then he wrote down his father’s phone number which he easily remembered and with which they used to reach his family, that had been searching frantically for him.

His elder brother, Theophilus Lawani, said it was his friend who sold him to the kidnappers for N150,000. Theophilus further revealed that before the Hausa man called them from Kano, Lawani’s friend sent them several messages, telling them to forgive him for selling his friend.

“...We have decided to take my brother for further prayers in Kaduna,” Theophilus stated.

Billionaire Politicians, Get Ready To Sell Your Private Jets

Public officers and politicians have been warned to get rid of their private jets as President Muhammadu Buhari had begun blocking financial leakages in the country’s economy.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole made this known at a public lecture titled “Labour and the Nigerian Economy: What needs to be done”, held at the University of Port Harcourt.

His words: “Few people (in Nigeria) are taking away so much wealth, while majority of the people are going home with almost nothing. 

“A clear example is when you arrive at the private wing of the airport in Abuja; you will find more than 40 to 50 private jets parked there in one airport alone. 

“The question is what sources do these private jet owners get their wealth from; and which businesses do they run to acquire this luxurious lifestyle?

“You find a young man who has connection with state-owned NNPC, which is suppose to work for the interest of Nigeria, corruptly work for only the interest of few persons,” he said.

Oshiomhole said that billions of state funds had being stolen by a few individuals due to chronic corruption perpetrated by some top officials in the NNPC.

Buhari administration is already making moves to rid Nigeria of these corrupt officials and institutions.

“Very soon, those who maintain luxurious assets and private jets will begin to sell them because they will no longer be able to maintain them. “The sources of procurement of these ill gotten wealth by these people is currently being disconnected and more will be disconnected in the few days and in the coming weeks,” he said.

Oshiomhole blamed the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) for its failure to call politicians to order in the face of the country’s current falling economy. He said it was unfair that Senators could earn an annual salary of about N200 million when the lowest grade worker earned a paltry N18,000 monthly as minimum wage or N216,000 as annual salary.

He stressed: “How NLC has kept quiet and allowed Senators allocate to themselves annual income of N200 to N300 million both as basic salaries and bogus allowances combined baffles me.”