Metro

‘They Broke My Jaw; I Drank Garri For 10 Days’ – Edo Rev. Fr. Nightmare In Kidnappers’ Den

Published

9 months ago

March 22, 2025

Photo: file copy

Reverend Father Thomas Oyode, the Reactor, Immaculate Conception Seminary, Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, has narrated his ordeal in the hands of kidnappers.

INFO DAILY reports that Rev. Fr. Oyode was abducted in the evening of October 27, 2024 at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Agenebode.

Narrating his ordeal in an interview, Rev. Fr. Oyode, said it was around 7pm on the faithful day when three young men who looked like Fulani herders stormed the seminary, shot sporadically into the air and the process kidnapped him and two seminarians but he pleaded for their captors to free the seminarians, which they obliged to.

He narrated: “They announced their presence with gunshots, but I didn’t realise we were in danger at the time. It was around 7.00pm. We usually have the vigilante come to resume night duties at 8.00pm, and he would usually shoot a shot up, perhaps to announce his presence.

“When I heard the first gunshot where I was seated, I thought he was the one. Then there was a second one and I thought to myself, “why is he wasting the bullets?”.

“It was at that very moment I heard feet stamping towards me. I raised my head and saw three young men looking like Fulani, brandishing a cutlass, a stick and a gun respectively. I was terrified and started screaming “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Mother Mary, Help Me! Ikenemoh, where are you?”. This made them hit me harder, as they would later tell me when they took me to the bush.

“As they hit me with every instrument they held, I fell to the ground, and it appears I passed out because I later found myself almost lifeless on another spot far from where they began hitting me and I didn’t know how I got to that spot. I felt one of them trying to lift me up, saying “oya come make we dey go”.

“I tried to open my eyes then I discovered that my left eye was already covered, I couldn’t see with it. It was swollen. The right eye was covered with blood. I could barely see but I managed to see two of my Seminarians being held hostage; one looked like he was explaining something or pleading to be freed. He was gripped by the collar of his uniform.

“It was then that I realised that we were not just being attacked by some angry herdsmen, we were going to be kidnapped.

“So, I managed to stand on my knees, lifted my hands and pleaded with them, “Okay, make una leave these ones, I go follow una. I’m a priest, abeg I go follow una” and they said “Oya get up make we dey go.” They tied my hands and took me away.

“At this point I noticed that the number of the attackers increased. There were now about ten of them. Later I discovered that they were actually nine in all. That was how they took me away.”

According to the priest, he spent 10 days in the kidnappers’ den, but he couldn’t eat anything apart from water and in some occasions garri in the water.

He added: “It was actually ten days, though I got home (my diocese) on the eleventh day, having passed the night in a village in Ajaokuta local government, Kogi State.

*I ate nothing that Sunday before the evening of the kidnap. I said three Masses in the morning at 5.30 am, 6.30am and 8.30am. From the Parish I proceeded to the seminary around 12.00 noon where I presided over a meeting between 1.00pm and 4.00pm when I went into my room for a nap.

“I was hungry and thirsty when they came. So, when we walked a short distance, my throat became very parched. I asked for water but they told me that I couldn’t drink anything then “because of your condition”. I guess they were referring to the bleeding. Later in the night, they gave me water from a muddy river, but I rejected it. I thought they had potable water (pure water sachet) for me.

“The next morning, they offered me cornflakes which they called garri but I couldn’t eat it. It was then I noticed that tears dropped from my eyes. They had broken my left jaw, and I could not open my mouth to chew even as my left eye had become swollen and closed up arising from the broken jaw.

“I realised that I was going to suffer a lot for as long as I was going to be alive in the forest. So I didn’t eat. I only drank water and sometimes, I asked them to add garri to the water for me to drink. That was what I fed on for ten days.”

The Rev. Fr. Who said he prayed with “my fingers even the Divine Mercy prayer at 3.00pm every day,” further narrated his ordeal: “On one of the nights when they had my hands tied to the back and tortured me, the one they called Gambo kept shouting at me to keep quiet as I was crying and begging. He told me “keep quiet now or I’ll shoot you”.

“As I pleaded the more with my hands already numb, he asked me, “If I release you now and tell you make you dey go, make you become Muslim, you go do?” For split seconds I considered the option and I immediately realised they would never release me after all. So, I asked, “me?”. He answered, “yes” and then I said “I be Reverend Father o”. He said “I know na” and then I said “no, I no go do”. He kept silent and never said anything again.”

On how he was miraculously released, the priest said: “I kept hoping I would be released. I kept praying even when there were instances when I felt they were planning to kill me, I could only pray for mercy and beg God to grant me the grace to join the Blessed Virgin Mary and my favourite saints in heaven.

“My release was a mix of surprise and hope because there were times when it felt like it was never going to happen, like no matter what, they would kill me and abandon me in the bush anyway. I walked with them barefooted to Kogi State, near Ajaokuta Local Government Area.

“That was where they released me, where my people came to pick me on a motorcycle.”

Metro

Edo Assembly Declares Okpebholo’s Projects Unprecedented

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

The Edo State House of Assembly has described projects embarked upon by Governor Monday Okpebholo as unprecedented in the history of Edo State.

Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Atu Osamwonyi, made the assertion when he led members of the legislature on a comprehensive oversight inspection of several ongoing infrastructural projects.

Other lawmakers on the oversight team included Hon. Addeh Isibor, Hon. Yekini Idaiye, and Hon. Ugabi Kingsley.

Hon. Osamwonyi, who spoke during an assessment tour of the Sapele Road Flyover, said the lawmakers were in the field to verify the progress of work and ensure that funds appropriated by the Assembly were being judiciously utilised.

According to him, the flyover represents a milestone for Benin City and reflects the governor’s commitment to infrastructural renewal.

He emphasised that unlike past administrations where funds were approved with no tangible results, the Okpebholo-led government had demonstrated transparency and visible delivery.

“In my entire life in Edo State, this flyover project is the first of its kind. We are here physically, and work is ongoing,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker added that the Assembly had earlier inspected the Ramat Park Flyover on Monday, noting similar levels of progress.

“This is the fifth site we have visited since yesterday. We are impressed with what we have seen so far, and as a House, we will stand by the governor to ensure he finishes strong,” he said.

At Ogheghe, Old Sapele Road and Ekae Road—where a 14-kilometre road and concrete drainage network is underway—Hon. Osamwonyi described the construction efforts as unprecedented, expressing astonishment at the level of work done within a short period.

He insisted that the legislature does not play politics with accountability and would speak the truth at all times.

“If Governor Okpebholo was not doing well, we would say it. But I stand here today to affirm that the funds appropriated are being used judiciously for the benefit of the people.l”, he noted.

He further remarked that despite limited financial resources, the governor had delivered projects many believed were impossible.

The Deputy Speaker recalled that several communities, particularly in Ogheghe, previously suffered from severe road degradation that made access impossible, even for motorcycles.

“But today we are standing here with joy. The governor has brought democracy to Edo in a way the people can feel,” he said.

According to him, contractors handling the projects confirmed that although the initial timeline was two years, work would likely be completed within one year and six months due to the speed of implementation.

“That tells you that Governor Okpebholo is not eating Edo people’s money,” he added.

Hon. Osamwonyi stressed that the Assembly would resist any attempt to derail the governor’s momentum.

“This is the continuity we want in Edo State. Anybody who wants to thwart the governor’s efforts, we will not agree,” he said.

The oversight team also visited the 5.86-kilometre road project linking Amagba and Obagie-N’Ebvuosa, where the engineer handling the project reported that 4.3 kilometres of drainage had already been completed.

Metro

Edo Final-year Student Dies In Sign-out Motorcade Crash

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

A yet-to-be-identified final-year student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, has lost his life in a road crash after he and some other students embarked on a motorcade parade to celebrate the completion of their final examinations.

It was learnt on Tuesday from a Facebook user, Inside Edo, that the accident occurred on Monday shortly after the students finished their final examination.

Inside Edo disclosed that the vehicle had attempted to overtake another before losing control and ramming into a truck.

The post read, “A tragic accident has occurred at Ujoelen, close to the primary school, resulting in the death of a newly graduated student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened during an attempted overtaking by one of the vehicles involved.

“The risky manoeuvre reportedly led to a loss of control, causing the fatal incident. Residents who were nearby rushed to the scene, but the victim could not be saved.”

Similarly, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the students were said to have been driving recklessly before crashing into a stationary truck.

The deceased was said to be part of a convoy made up of fresh graduates of the university.

NAN reported, “He was reportedly part of a convoy of fresh graduates who took to the highway on Monday shortly after their signing-out activities.

“Witnesses said the group drove recklessly and failed to observe basic safety rules during the celebrations.

“The tragedy occurred when the deceased attempted to overtake a moving truck but collided with a stationary vehicle parked along the road.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Mathew, proved abortive, as the official number available on the FRSC directory was not reachable at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, NAN reported that Mathew later confirmed the incident, adding that one person died while five others were injured in the crash.

“The students, after writing their last paper, took to the road in a convoy.

“In the process, one of them overtook another vehicle and rammed into a stationary truck,” NAN quoted Mathew as saying.

Metro

One Dies In Oyo Fire, Two Rescued

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

One person lost her life in a fire incident at Agbaakin Street, behind Testing Ground, Iwo Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday.

This was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

He said the fire resulted from a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials.

Akinwande added that the firefighting operation was successfully carried out with the support of officers of the Federal Fire Service.

“The fire emergency was received at exactly 20:18 hours on Monday, December 8, 2025.

“On getting there, it was two rooms on the upper floor of a private residential building of 12 rooms engulfed by fire.

“One person (female) was recovered, while two persons (males) were rescued alive. The fire also affected only two rooms, and the whole building and other properties worth millions of naira were saved by the officers of the agency.

“The fire incident was a result of a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials. The operation was jointly carried out with the Federal Fire Service, Ibadan Command,” he explained.

In a related development, a fire incident on Tuesday engulfed the Agric Business Development Agency at Total Garden in Ibadan.

A statement by the State Fire Service Chairman, Akinwande, said the agency received a telephone call through Mr Akinyinka reporting that fire had ravaged the place.

“The incident was reported at exactly 09:20hrs on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, through a telephone call by Mr Akinyinka (the General Manager, Oyo State Fire Services Agency) to the office, reporting a fire at the above-stated address.

“The officers, led by ACFS Oyeniyi Taofeek, swiftly mobilised and deployed to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that electrical sparks from a solar inverter control board on the upper floor of the building resulted in the fire.

“The swift response and professional intervention of our officers prevented the situation from escalating into a fire disaster. The use of portable fire extinguishers was employed during the firefighting operation.

“No casualty was recorded, and properties worth millions of naira were saved by the fire service. The fire incident was a result of electrical sparks from the inverter system,” the statement read.

The chairman, therefore, advised the public to always use correct cables and other electrical materials for their installations.