BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

LAGOS — Traditional rulers, clerics, party leaders of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; council workers, well wishers and residents were among hundreds of people that attended a special thanksgiving service organised by the management of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Wednesday, for the safe return of the Chairman, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, from the custody of kidnappers.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the council secretariat, Bamigbetan said it would be hard to erase the experience from his mind.

In an emotionally laden speech, Bamigbetan, while recounting his state of mind, before the large crowd, said as he stood, he still carried the trauma of torture in the dungeon of the kidnappers.

Hear him: “In the last 72 hours, I have discovered that traumatic experiences like this leaves a large scar not only on your body but mainly on your mind.

“As I stand here, I still carry with me the trauma of being beaten till blood oozed from my nostrils while the hands I could have used to wipe them were tied to the arms of the chair of punishment.

“I carry the scars of being turned into a reptile, demoted to lying prostrate on the floor like a lizard, while the eyes I ought to use to find my way were blindfolded and all I could see was pitch, black darkness.

Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Lagos State. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

“I cannot forget the coldness of the violent steel, the AK-47 pressed against my cheek, then put into my mouth to actualise the idea of biting the bullet, that until then, had been a safe idiomatic expression.

“These scars are now part of my psyche. They form part of the story that I will carry to old age.

“Yet, from this same pot of blackness arose a kindness so rare and outstanding that could only have come from the grace of the Almighty; from the mercy of the Creator. The result of the prayers that rose from the mouths of men and women like you across all faiths united in the conviction that the devil will be defeated.

“Else, how can we explain the captors who were turned into servants to dote on me and attend to my menial needs? How do I account for the free chef and the free chauffeur services that fed and ferried me into the bosom of my wife, children and family? In the space of five days, God showed that the powers of darkness may reign but the reign will be for a short time, that the devious rule will be cut short by the forces of goodness..

“All of us seated here today, workers, community leaders, politicians are the forces of goodness whose prayers and activism crushed the forces of darkness. All of us here today, who worked individually and collectively to ensure that evil does not occupy our land are the movement and vanguard for the change that we all desire.

“From the bottom of our hearts, my wife, children and the entire Bamigbetan family are indebted to you. We thank you for sharing our pains. God will be with you in your trials and triumphs.

“A thousand tongues will not be enough to thank God for this mercy He has generously bestowed on us. What we know, right from our childhood, is that in everything, we should give thanks to Him. No leaf falls off the tree without his approval. Nothing happens without his design. We pray that God continues to guide us through the challenges of life.

“Permit me to thank a man who has shown so much interest in my development, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his wife, our delectable amazon at the Senate, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, for their concern.

“I declare my appreciation to the First Family of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and wife, Dame Emmanuella Fashola, for the sacrifices they made to make sure that I did not disappear like smoke.

“I thank the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji and the entire House of Assembly for their solidarity. I cannot forget the fatherly role of His Royal Majesty, Oba Adekunle Adisa Ojoola, the Ojon of Ejigbo and Ijan land and the Council of Chiefs. The list is endless.

“Finally, let me assure that this spiritual rebirth has recharged my conviction to serve mankind and rescue our country, the most populous and promising black nation from the hands of the renegades and degenerates of the People’s Democratic Party whose backward, clueless and reactionary government has become so embarrassing that it is now the duty of every Nigerian to sweep it out of power.

“While the PDP-led Federal Government continues to demonstrate incompetence in addressing the problem of graduate unemployment that is turning kidnapping and ransom taking into the newest flourishing criminal venture, the governments of the Action Congress of Nigeria have demonstrated the superiority of vision by creating over 100,000 jobs for graduates in the last three years.”