A man in Lagos has narrated how he miraculously
escaped death at the hands of a gang that
abducted him on his way to work.
He told Daily Sun that he was picked up at the
popular Cele Bus Stop on Oshodi-Mile 2
Expressway, as he waited for a ride to Apapa,
explaining that the encounter seemed to him like
a Nollywood movie episode.
Till date, Obasi believes that it was the Catholic
prayer and the sign of the cross that he made
while in captivity that saved him on the day he
had almost concluded that it was all over.
A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Peter Puotege, a
Ghanaian working at SS Mulumba and David
Catholic Church, Lawanson, Lagos, said: “The
sign of the cross is one of those powerful prayers
anyone could ever make because there is power
in the name of God we profess. It is a
communication between an individual and the
Holy Trinity – that is God the Father, the Son and
the Holy Ghost. It is an acknowledgment of God
depending on the intention of the individual.”
Obasi said that was exactly what he did: Signing
himself from the forehead to chest and the
shoulders once while he was being shepherded to
the dungeon and again as he was being asked to
go into the temple apparently to fully hypnotise
him. He said the last act he made seemingly
threw his guard into disarray. And while it
became obvious that the man was struggling with
some form of confusion, Obasi made a quick get-
away. He said as he ran for safety, the guard
warned that he would soon be caught and
brought back no matter how fast he ran. He said
the money he had on him for a transaction was
not touched.
He explained: “I had come out at Cele Bus Stop
that fateful morning from my home in Itire,
heading for Tin Can Island Wharf where I worked
as a clearing agent. I was clutching my folder
containing N35, 000 which was meant for some
transaction at the Tin Can Island Wharf. As I
stood there waiting for a bus, I never knew
something untoward lay ahead.
“I met a pretty large crowd at the bus stop and
had to stand poles away from the rest of the
commuters. Everyone was desperate to get to
their destinations. Having stood for well over 30
minutes, I was getting weary. Then suddenly, a
car pulled up before me, with the driver shouting,
Wharf! Wharf! He was riding alone. As I rushed
in, a man too stormed in from the left door, and
so did a woman. Three of us sat at the back; I
was sandwiched by the duo. Another man who
also made it with us, sat in front with the driver.
The car then zoomed off as quickly as we got in.
I was later to realise that I made a fatal mistake
– that I was riding with the wrong persons.
“We had barely reached Sanya Bus Stop when
the woman sitting to my right gave me a gentle
tap on the shoulder. ‘Oh boy, how are you?’ she
said in a soft voice. I was surprised at her action.
But no sooner did she touch me than I began to
melt like salt in water. I saw myself growing very
weak. Before I knew what was happening, the
driver veered off the road at 2nd Rainbow Bus
Stop; he headed towards Amuwo Odofin axis. The
farther we went, the weaker I became. I knew
that I was in trouble but I didn’t have any ounce
of energy to challenge them about where I was
being taken.
“In a short while, the driver turned and headed
towards Ago Palace Way in Okota. Everyone of us
was silent. Then again he veered off into an
unpaved road to the left. We kept rocking as the
driver sped along the bumpy road. Soon, only a
few houses were seen here and there. We kept
heading into the bush. On and on we went, until
we arrived at a certain uncompleted house. The
driver hooted and a wiry man flung the gate open
and he drove straight in.
“I was still in the car when a man opened the
door, smiled at me and said: ‘You are welcome!’
Then a man of about 35 years old came forward
and said: ‘Madam wants to see you upstairs.’
‘Which madam?’ I asked and he said I would soon
know. Then he led me all the way up.”
Obasi said the minutes that were to follow could
have tragically passed as his last. But God
stepped in at the nick of time in the most
dramatic manner.
“After going up two or three rungs, I made the
sign of the cross, muttering, ‘Lord, I put my hope
in you.’ Then my guard turned, saw me and said:
‘Oh, you think that will save you? Let’s wait and
see.’ But right in my mind I said: ‘Yes, this will
save me.’
“In the room upstairs, I saw with my own eyes,
some people – men and women sitting on the
bare floor in chains crammed into a dingy corner.
Seeing them, I concluded that the worst might
happen.
“Then my guard motioned to me to go towards a
certain chamber a few strides away. The place
was veiled with a dreadful, black piece of cloth.
He demanded that I should open it and go in. As I
got to the chamber’s entrance, again I made the
sign of the cross. Drawing closer, I beheld a
dreadful temple. Then turning towards the man, I
asked him: ‘Why do you want to do this to me?’
But he gave no answer. So, I retreated towards
him and asked him to show me the way out, and
he obliged me. In fact, he led the way.
“The moment we emerged from the house, it
appeared that he was struggling with some form
of confusion. The rest of the people in the
compound kept looking at us. I then took some
quick steps towards the gate and bolted, running
as fast as I could. As I ran, I heard the man’s
voice ringing behind me saying: ‘So you think you
are running away? We will soon catch you. We
will allow you exhaust yourself before we get you.
We will soon bring you back; just keep running.’”
Obasi said as he ran, he couldn’t say if he was
dead or alive. He was simply running for his dear
life in a particular direction, encumbered by
shrubs and undergrowth. He was falling as he
ran, but he was not deterred. He said for more
that 20 minutes he was continuously running, not
minding if anyone was after him.
“When I got to a point, I paused to gather
strength. I was like a man in a trance. I was
wondering what happened. Then I began running
again in a particular direction until I arrived at the
same road through which we came. I saw a
woman selling sachet water and hurried to her. I
grabbed a pack but before I drank it, I made the
sign of the cross again, fearing that the woman
might be one of them. Then I gulped it.
“As I drank, the woman said to me: ‘Aaaa, you
are lucky o o o! I know you escaped from there,’
pointing in the direction of the ritualists’ den.
‘You must hurry away quickly before they come
after you. They must be after you. This is usually
where they come to re-arrest escapees. They
know that you must burst out at this spot.’
“Hearing that, I hurried off again. I dashed into
the bush and kept running. Having run deep into
the bush, I began fearing for my life. So, I headed
for the same road in another direction. This time,
I could see buildings around. People who saw me
sensed I was escaping from danger meaning that
they knew about the existence of the ritualists in
the area.
“Then I saw a commercial motorcyclist, arriving
after dropping off a passenger. I quickly mounted
his bike and told him to take me to anywhere
along Ago Palace Way. I did not even wait to
bargain for the fare. From there, I headed
straight home, wondering whether the encounter
happened in a midday dream.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has
said that the police were not aware of the
existence of such evil gang. In a telephone chat
with Daily Sun , the Police Public Relations Officer,
(PPRO) of the command, Joseph Offor, a Deputy
Superintendent of Police), said he had no
knowledge of such development. He then
promised to contact the police establishment in
Okota area over the matter.
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