My Orderly Was Shaking When Kidnappers Confronted Us -Akeredolu

otimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State, says his orderly became jittery when his convoy encountered a gang of kidnappers, boasting that he cannot be whisked away by the criminals.

He admitted that travelling on Nigerian roads has become a major source of worry for the rich and the poor.

The Ondo governor stated this on Sunday night during a live broadcast programme aired on the government-owned Ondo State Radio-Vision Corporation (OSRC) in Akure, the state capital.

“I have encountered them once and even as a governor with my crew, I remembered I had to tell my people to move on. My orderly was shaking. But I said wherever they (kidnappers) were, we would confront them,” Akeredolu said.

“There is no need to run away. On my way to Ibadan the last time, we saw them and we moved but the advantage is that by the time, we shoot into the air, they scampered into the bush.

“Even if I walk they cannot kidnap me. I have passed the stage. Kidnapping is not limited to those poor people alone, and I agreed that those with convoys might be safe.”

The governor, who revealed that his convoy was almost attacked on the Ibadan-Akure road by the suspected kidnappers, stressed that he cannot be kidnapped because he rides in a convoy of armed security men.

On the increasing rate of kidnapping, Akeredolu said: “It is what happened to every other generation. There was a time armed robbery was very prevalent but that is fading away gradually.

“It is becoming a fashion to go into kidnapping. I now know that traveling from here (Akure) to Ibadan is now a source of concern because people now go by rail. But you can go by air from Lagos to Akure and do your business; that is the advantage our government has created.