A former senator and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ayo Arise, has given details of how he was set free by kidnappers, after parting with N20 million as ransom.
He spoke yesterday at the SS, Peter and Paul Catholic Pro Cathedral, Oye Ekiti, during a thanksgiving service on his release.
Arise was kidnapped along Lokoja –Abuja road last December while returning to the Federal Capital Territory after visiting Ekiti State. He was held by his captors for six days.
Arise said he had a good reason to thank God for surviving the kidnap as not all persons kidnapped come out alive.
“After my experience, someone was kidnapped and was still killed even after paying N25million twice, as ransom. So, how do you describe that?” he said.
He recalled his ordeal at the hands of the kidnappers, noting that he was with the kidnappers from Sunday, December 3 to Friday, December 8, 2017.
“I can assure you that it’s not an experience that you’ll want to have. There’s nothing more frightening than for you to know that you don’t even know what would happen to you,” he said.
He doubted that the kidnappers would ever consider engaging in other businesses, given the huge money involved.
He said he advised them to consider taking up up other businesses and live a better life after collecting millions, but the kidnappers replied that it was their “bosses in Abuja that actually take the money and that they only get something small.”
“So I have doubts in my mind that even if jobs are provided for those ones, would that be as lucrative as kidnapping one person or two people and collecting N20 million. That’s the fear, it’s like they have tasted blood and it has become very, very dangerous,” lamented Arise.
He expressed profound gratitude to his people for showing concern during his ordeal.
“Between Oye and Ilupeju, they contributed N4 million within 24 hours. So that is one of the things that touched me to the marrow. My friends rallied round; the people of the town are showing appreciation for having a son that believes in them,” he said.
After the church session, Arise shared his political ambition with journalists, saying he stood a better chance to win the governorship election on the platform of the APC ahead of other aspirants in the party.
He said although he had respect for former governors, Kayode Fayemi and Segun Oni, he possessed the popularity to wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
Although Fayemi, who is also the Minister of Mines and Steel Development is yet to make public his intentions to contest the July 14 election, Oni on his part, had declared that he would be taking another shot at the governorship seat.
According to Arise, the two former governors have contributed to the development of the state, but it was time for fresh blood to be allowed to rule the state.
