7th November, 2021
Professor Sumaila Joseph Obansa, one of the staff of the University of Abuja, abducted by terrorists in the early hours of Tuesday 2nd November 2021, has narrated his ordeal.
Obansa and his two kids were taken away initially by the gunmen before one of them was released to return that fateful day.
The professor of economics said he never imagined he could go through the pains he went through in the hands of his abductors.
He said:
“They made us walk over a long stretch, day and night, and when it’s day time they blindfolded us. They didn’t allow us eat anything, except once or twice when they fed us with garri using unclean water. Once I couldn’t move again after having trekked for a long time, and they kicked and threatened to waste me if I didn’t stand up. My son had to help me up. It was a very terrible experience, I had never trekked continuously for that long in my life. You will not even wish this to happen to your worst enemy. I just had to be praying to God for protection. Thank God, our prayers and those of everyone who cared were answered. And God used our leaders in the University, security operatives and other well-wishers, and ensured that we are safe at last.”
Professor Bassey Ubom popularly known as Oboskolo on his part was fast enough to escape.
However, when he returned, he was confronted with the stark reality of the gunmen’s unwanted visit: they had left with his wife ( who was released immediately), his nine-year-old son and daughter.
Recalling the incident, he said, ” it is not an experience you would wish for your worst enemy. I have never been so humiliated in my life. And it was painful knowing that you are here and your loved ones are in the forest with criminal elements. At a point you thought maybe you should not have escaped from them. With the benefit of hindsight, I now know that God had a hand in my escape because I had to be here to rally the others whose loved ones have been kidnapped, consoling them and above all, getting involved in high-level negotiation with those elements, who were asking for outrageous ransom. The experience we went through in the hands of those abductors can only be better imagined. To be so humiliated, and yet helpless is pathetic. What my kids went through is to say the least callous and inhuman. I mean for a nine-year-old boy to be subjected to that kind of physical and psychological assault is evil. But our people worked, prayed, and we are grateful that God has answered us. We thank all the security operatives who jointly helped to rescue our members. We thank our inimitable vice-chancellor, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, our compassionate council chairman, Professor Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed, the chief safety officer of the University, friends, colleagues and well-wishers who never left us during these trying times. We are happy with you all. God bless you.”
Dr Tobins Ferguson Hamilton
Dr Tobins Ferguson Hamilton had gone into hiding when the gunmen got access into his house at the University Staff Quarters on that fateful Tuesday.
They suspected he was on the roof and they started shooting sporadically. Scared that he could be killed by the gunmen’s bullets he surrendered and came down.
He said, “That is how they started beating me mercilessly. I was only on my knickers and they matched me out for us to begin a very long journey into the forest, crossing rivers and bushes for several hours. Throughout the night, they did not blindfold us, but the moment it was day, they blindfolded us so that we could neither see or identify any of them.
“In the daytime, they left us at a cornfield and we’re still keeping surveillance on us. My leg was swollen because I had never been made to walk like that before in my life. The terror, the horror was of unimaginable proportion. Then we started noticing that they had started to communicate and negotiate with our contacts, and we. were hurt praying that whatever it was, may God make it end well.
“Thank God, we back home safely without very serious injuries. When I was taken to the hospital after we had been rescued, the results of some of my tests were scary. Then with immediate treatment, I began to get better. This is not an experience I will forget in a hurry. You know what I mean, you were facing a set of criminally minded people who were having life ammunition and you knew that if anything went wrong, they could just pump the bullets into your head, and that’s all. We must commend the steadfastness of the University authority, the security agencies, and everyone who stood by us against this evil attack on harmless and Innocent academics. I leave everything in the hands of God.”