Olu Falae says he slept on the bare floor for four days as he is reunited with his family

FORMER finance minister Chief Olu Falae has revealed that he slept on the bare floor for four days while he was held by kidnappers who abducted him from his farm in Ondo State before being rescued by men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

 

Chief Falae, 77, was abducted by gunmen believed to be Fulani cattle herders from his farm at Ilado village near Akure, the Ondo State capital on Monday. Yesterday, he was freed after the NPF mounted a massive rescue operation, following a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari that they free him at all costs.

 

Inspector-general of police Solomon Arase eventually handed Chief Falae over to his family at Owo in Ondo State yesterday, warning that from henceforth, kidnapping and lawlessness will not be tolerated. Chief Falae later revealed his ordeal to the Ondo State governor Olusegun Mimiko, saying that he went through hell while in captivity.

 

Chief Falae said: “When I told the kidnappers that my family could raise N2m (£6,500) for ransom against the N100m (£327,000) they demanded, they rejected it and told me is it Boko Haram you are giving N2m to?"

 

After being released, the septuagenarian said he trekked several kilometres to a hotel in Owo town, where he met security agents that took him home. Looking weary and frail, Chief Falae arrived at his home at about 4.45pm in the company of Mr Arase, the assistant inspector-general of police in charge of Zone 11 Kalafite Adeyemi and the Ondo State commissioner of police Mike Ogbodu.

 

Mr Arase said, “I am happy he was rescued alive as the most important thing is that Baba has come home safely, as that is the mandate the president has given to me and that is exactly what I have done. The operation which started in the early hours of the aforementioned date, combed every nook and cranny of Ondo state till success was achieved in Owo.

 

"Those who think Nigeria is lawless should have a rethink as the Nigeria Police Force and other sister agencies are everywhere to deal decisively with those miscreants who intend to test the capabilities of the force. The Nigeria Police will leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators of the dastardly act are brought to book."

 

Governor Mimiko added that there was a need to tackle the issue of security in a wider dimension. He pointed out that the fact that somebody of Chief Falae’s pedigree was taken away while working on his farm, is a very serious security challenge which Nigeria must tackle.

 

NPF public relations officer Olabisi Kolawole said Chief Falae's family did not pay any ransom to the kidnappers. She added that no member of the kidnapping gang had been arrested yet but the police are on their case.