How God Saved My Life in the Den of Kidnapper – Esther Williams

How God Saved My Life in the Den of Kidnapper – Esther Williams

By Irene Willoughby

The move to curb the upsurge kidnappings, raping and murder in the Eastern and Northern part of the country has not yield any significant result. 
According to report, many kidnapping cases have been recorded by the government in the last few years around the Eastern and Northern part of the country.

The forest along the Owerri road has been serving as a den for suspected herdsmen-kidnappers who has been terrorising the Owerri-Port Harcourt Expressway axis of the state.

Many kidnapped victims and their relatives has severally accused Fulani herdsmen of abducting them or their relatives in that axis.

This has been the routine activities on Owerri-Port Harcourt road before Esther Williams became another victim.

Esther’s father is from Ihiagwa, Owerri Imo State, an Iron Bender and fabricator based in Akute, Ogun State.

"I  separated from Esther mother due to my family believes on female child and inheritance matter which she insisted that Esther is the first child and has the right to her parents property’

"Esther's mother is from Yoruba tribe where property sharing did not separate female and Male child from getting their parents inheritance while the easterners believe only male child has right to inheritance"

Pa Peter Williams has been battling with some members of his family who believes inheritance is not for female children which caused separation between he and his wife.

According to Esther’s father, "Esther is our first child and she was born with a disability as a result of her mum’s nurse best friend who was jealous of her & gave her medicine to abort the pregnancy but the medicine only caused damage to Esther while in the womb which affected her left leg and fingers"

"Our marriage was blessed with another three boys and a girl"

Pa Peter Williams, who said the separation between him and Esther’s mother did not help as Esther was not so familiar to his family (only familiar with one of his nephew) and gave her the opportunity to study at Imo State University.

Our Special Report Editor, Irene Willoughby who spoke with Esther through her father recorded that, Esther narrated her ordeal when she was posted to Taraba State for her National Youth Service Corps NYSC. 

Esther on the phone conversation said, “My Father’s relatives has been threatening him for a property that will be inherited by me , everything became serious and so my father stopped visiting the village for a long time until early year 2023 when he went to the village for his twin brother’s funeral Paul Williams which I also attended”

“ After the funeral, we did not know the relatives were still bent on taking the property from my father and so they paid kidnappers to kidnap and kill me whether my father releases the property to them or not”

“I was abducted on December 22, 2023, I was on my way from Taraba state (after my three weeks camping) back to Owerri. Just as we got to Onitsha (1hr 20mins into owerri), six men gang crossed my bus,took me & other passengers to a thick forest"

"We got to the forest where the gunmen’s camp was, filled with dangerous weapons, blood stains littered everywhere. I heard different voices of both men and women, some were crying and shouting in agony" 

"The other passengers were taken to a different room from where I was kept before my eyes was blindfolded. I was crying and praying. I was there for more than 48hours, raped by five different kidnappers, they took turns on me until the last kidnapper that was supposed to kill me and trade my body parts, he pitied my disability and slightly removed the blindfold from my eyes and covered it back, he then told me he is supposed to kill me and trade my parts because one my father’s relatives who monitored my movement from Taraba under the pretence that he is making sure I arrived back to my hostel safe, never knew he had bad plans so I gave him details of my movements".

“He did not rape me, he silently took me out through the bush and handed me over to one Micheal who helped me out of the danger zone”

"⁠I heard the kidnapper telling Michael to help him take me to a safe place and they communicated in a language I did not understand afterwards.

Esther could not hide her pains when she saw Michael with a disdain face although not harmful throughout her hide out believing Michael was acting on the instructions of the kidnapper who hand her to him. 

“I later heard from Michael that I would be traveling out of the country for my safety from my father’s relatives deadly mission and painfully, I will not be able to finish my NYSC.”

"All I know is that I found myself in a house for days where a nurse came to treat me in the room I was kept in because I became so ill and later, Michael and I moved to a short-let close to the Muritala Muhammed Airport and the rest was seeing myself in Ireland with Michael before our separation on the same day which I have not set my eyes again on him"

Pa Peter Williams, Esther’s father having known the whole story promised not to have anything to do with his family and wishes his daughter the best. 

“My daughter would have died because of small property aimed by my relatives. A girl child and boy child are the same and there should be no discrimination”
He urged his family to have a rethink and change their beliefs on female child.