Danny’s father tells the story of his kidnap

One good thing about Danny is that he likes to plan ahead. So much that he leaves nothing to chance. I’m not that careless either. That is why it remains a surprise to us that we didn’t discuss the issue of religion before marriage. We were carried away by our membership of New Beginnings, a matured singles interdenominational fellowship where we met. Thank God, all hope is not lost in converting him to my church, or rather, bringing him back to the fold. He had left the Anglican Church where he was raised and joined the Kingdom Tower as an undergraduate. His parents have tried their best to bring him back to the family church to no avail. “My daughter, if you could help pull him back to the fold, we shall be eternally grateful. I don’t care if it is Catholic or Anglican, we profess one creed as far as I’m concerned,” the distraught woman told me. Thank God I have supporters, getting Danny to worship with me would be much easier. We had spent a night with my parents to thank them for their efforts during the kidnap and release of my father in-law before heading to Abuja to see Danny’s people en route Maldives, where we hope to have our honeymoon.

I was apprehensive, not knowing how Danny’s father managed his post kidnap trauma but was surprised to meet a man who is not only hale and hearty but is ready to entertain people with the funny side of his life with the kidnappers. According to him, they were friendly and having heard so much about the menace of kidnappers in the South East and the eventual release of their captors, he got relaxed, with the hope that he will get his freedom too one day. “Soon, they exhausted their supply of foods, which one lady, a member of the gang I suppose, prepares for them. I never got to see her but I overheard her complaints one day over their empty pantry.” ‘I dey tell una say food don finish you dey there dey yan rubbish abi? Make I go thief cook for una? Ha!, if you no bring something today, yawa fit gas ooo.

That pale wey I dey see so no go fit stand better hunger ooo.!’ the lady who must have been born and bred in Warri retorted in response to De Boss’ call for patience. “Though I chuckled at her Warri pidgin, I knew there was trouble. But somehow, I felt they may decide to release me so I wouldn’t starve to death. I could hear discussions in the next room from time to time but couldn’t make a thing out of it as people come and go. I knew you people were not resting and I kept praying for freedom. What followed the next day was a mixture of pepper, salt and water, a kind of hot sauce, which I was meant to use in eating eba. In my bid to feel at home with them, I told them how I missed that kind of food that was the norm during the Nigerian Civil War,” he said, now laughing. “They were always fascinated when I told them my experience with the Igbo during the war and how I had to climb a tree with my gun strapped on my back because I was a new recruit, forced though, and didn’t want to kill. “Daniel, I must have told you the story of how I was caught and what became my saving grace,” the jovial man asked his son in between laughter. Our base served as both a battalion and a refugee camp.

It happened that there was a beautiful girl in the camp that the commander wanted. Because I was also handsome then, and fair like the girl, he thought we were related and had been looking for ways to bribe me so that I won’t raise an eyebrow when he takes on ‘my sister’. That was how I was pardoned even though I didn’t know the girl from Adam,” he said causing all of us to join in the laughter. he narrated. “The day before I was released Okwute, the second in command who had earlier gone to town to buy some medications for me advised me to give them whatever I have to secure my release. ‘Oga your in-law na good man ooo. E don help many youth for this area but that no be our concern ooo,’ he said to me. All these ones wey them dey say make we release you na lie ooo. If you wan go fast fast, you must drop something because De Boss say im effort no go be in vain lai lai. Na advise I dey give you oo, if not, only hungry go kill you for here,” he said, adding that he is telling me because he thinks I am also a good man. That was how they later allowed me to talk to your father and Daniel and the following morning, I was released.