Alhaji Jamiu Zakariyahu, an Islamic cleric, was kidnapped on October 2, 2019, in Ajowa Akoko, Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State. He escaped a few days later. He shares his ordeal while in captivity withOver the years I have been leading a Muslim congregation to pray in the morning and evening at Daja Mosque, Ajowa Akoko, in Akoko North West Local Government Area, Ondo State.
At the initial stage, a sum of N10m was demanded, but was reduced to N5m during the negotiations and later the negotiating team said they couldn’t pay more than N250,000. My family members told them that the victim was a teacher. On the day I was abducted, I had N40, 000 on me, two phones, wristwatch, sander and a leather shoe. They took away everything.Through prayers and I believe my freedom was the handiwork of the almighty Allah.
Cases of kidnapping are becoming more rampant in this part of the state and the country in general, what do you think the government can do to contain this scourge? Well, my advice to the government is to create jobs. Most of the people who are into kidnapping are young men who are jobless. But if they are engaged, the crime rate would reduce drastically. Also, there is a need for the government to provide and equip security agents with modern equipment and communication gadgets to fight insecurity. With my experience, I believe security agents can curb criminality in Nigeria.