By Chukwuma Ajakah

In a new book that unveils stranger than fiction facts on the waves of kidnapping incidents in Nigeria, Folarin Philip Banigbe, a Port Harcourt based branch pastor of The Stone Church International and publisher of a community newspaper, narrates his personal encounter with kidnappers.  The book titled, Abduction Chronicles is a true life story of the author’s ordeal in the hands of a well-coordinated daredevil gang that abducted him in the dead of the night of his 17th Wedding Anniversary. When the armed men struck at his Port Harcourt residence that Saturday night, Banigbe and his wife, Titi, were forcefully separated as the invaders whisked him away after ransacking their home and robbing them of valuables. The abductors kept him in a dungeon for what seemed like an eternity. Abduction Chronicles gives a picturesque account of how Banigbe was abducted from the comfort of his home and taken in a blindfold to the creeks of the Niger Delta region where he spent 4 nightmarish days, exposed to the elements of nature and constant threats of death.

Banigbe’s Abduction Chronicles is a gripping account of the author’s travails and close shaves with death.  A twist of fate brought the author in a direct confrontation with the masterminds of his abduction. The gangsters compelled him to negotiate his freedom with a bewildering sum as ransom. Despite the author’s apolitical stance, he learnt through his abductors’ vituperations that his plight is connected with the aftermath of the of the 2015 general elections that ended the tenure of Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria’s President and ushered in a new helmsman, Mohammadu Buhari. That he has affinity with neither the political parties nor the gladiators does not spare him the agony of being an escape-goat in settling political scores.

The novel set in the creeks of Nigeria’s South-South region, reveals the harrowing experiences of victims of kidnap and the dehumanizing treatment their captors subject them to. The kingpins of the mafia-like cartels usually lurk in the background while maintaining a vicious grip of seemingly invincible killer squads that unleash a reign of terror on hapless citizens and unsuspecting visitors or foreigners.  After a four day stint in the hinterland enclave of his captors, Banigbe returns to tell his own story in a stranger than fiction memoir that not many that travel that path survive to write. The author recounts the excruciating conditions he underwent and the intrigues involved in negotiating for freedom and eventually escaping death.

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The book published in 2018 by Immenso Media is divided into 3 parts. The plot hinges on these 3 segments.  Part 1 subtitled “98 Hours on a Cliff Hanger” runs from chapter 1 through chapter 10 and captures the vicissitude of the author’s kidnap experience. It encapsulates the torturous journey to captivity, the traumatic experience he had in the jungle and the equally perilous return journey. The plot develops to unfold the intrigues that preceded Gbanigbe’s release and the involvement of his pastor, Lekan and family in the negations. A twist of fate occurs towards the end of this part when the author receives direct message from God for Capo, the ringleader. The captive is suddenly emboldened by the Spirit of God. He takes charge and begins to dictate the terms of the negotiation. He ironically becomes the spiritual deliverer of his captors.

In Part 2, titled, “She said, He said, They said: Remembering the Day”, the author presents the thoughts of close associates and family members on the vicious kidnap incident. This part begins in chapter 11and ends on chapter 15. Each chapter is in form of direct speech from the perspective of a given narrator and subtitled, “My Wife”, “My Daughter”, “My Brother”, “Pastor Lekan Oyadiran” and “Demola Okeowo”. This unique narrative style results in an interlude as the author’s voice is suspended to resume in the subsequent part. Each narrator’s  reflection is presented as a sort of ode or tribute to those who were vicariously affected via the psychological trauma.

Part 3 subtitled, “Making Sense of It’, covers chapter 16 to 24.  This part centers on the author’s personal reflections and philosophical disposition after his return from the dungeon of the kidnappers. The author reflects on allied socio-economic and political issues in this section. He examines the role of security agencies, especially the police in the kidnap saga, the resultant pervading fear of insecurity in the country and the ominous implications of government’s failure to curb the kidnapping menace.

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