#insecurity: A man who lives in Taraba State was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded ₦50 million as ransom. After his family sold his properties and car, they were only able to raise ₦30 million. They pleaded with the kidnappers, who later agreed to accept the ₦30 million. They instructed that the money should be delivered to a local government area called Karim Lamido. They also demanded that only one person should bring the money, warning that any slight mistake would cost the man his life. When it was time to take the money, every family member said they could not afford to take such a risk. The man's son was willing to take the money, but he was still a small boy and not yet 20 years old. After a few days without hearing from the family, the kidnappers threatened to unalife the man. His mechanic, who had recently worked on his car and lived in the same area, heard about the situation. He visited the family and was informed about what was happening. The mechanic accepted to deliver the ransom to the kidnappers. Early the next morning, he left for Karim Lamido. When he got there, no commercial motorcycle rider was willing to take him to the location described by the kidnappers, so he had to trek for almost two hours. Throughout the journey, the kidnappers stayed on the phone, directing him at every turn. The route was mainly cattle paths rather than roads people normally used. When he reached the second forest, he saw two men waiting on a motorcycle. They called him over and told him to follow them. According to him, one of the men was carrying an AK-47 rifle. He sat between them on the motorcycle, and at that moment, he said his final prayer. The journey took another two hours before they arrived at another location, where four more men were waiting. They confirmed the money. He did not see the kidnapped man there, but the kidnappers assured him that the man was alive and would be released immediately after the money was confirmed. After confirming the ransom, the kidnappers released the victim in Gombe State. In fact, they put him inside a vehicle heading towards Taraba State, gave him his phone back, and allowed him to call his family to confirm that he had been released. The kidnappers then instructed him to turn around and never look back. They gave him directions, and in less than ten minutes he was already back in Karim Lamido town. It turned out that the kidnappers had deliberately given the mechanic a long and stressful route while bringing the money in order to confuse him. However, they later showed him the shortest route back to town, which took less than ten minutes. The most remarkable part of the story was that the mechanic's wife was heavily pregnant and almost due to give birth during that period. Despite the risk, he chose to help a customer who had always brought his vehicles to his workshop. -Richard Elisha
