The Traditional Ruler of Umudi in Nkwerre local government area of Imo State, Eze Joel Udenkwo also known as “Udekings” who was abducted last Friday on Tetlow road Owerri, where his electronics shop is located, has escaped from captivity.
The monarch who escaped Monday night told Blueprint correspondent in Owerri, Tuesday evening, that his abductors took him to a forest in Okwu village in Ikeduru local government area where he was tied with a rope and kept at a place waiting for their N200 million ransom.
He said the ransom was later reduced to N12 million but that while they were waiting for the money to be sent, one of the abductors went to sleep while the other went to smoke Indian hemp.
“It was when I noticed that the two men were nowhere around me that I carefully untied myself, quietly crawled and left the scene. I meandered through the bush and found safety at a nearby house, where I called out the occupants whom I narrated my ordeal to and begged them to help me call a monarch around the community,after identifying myself as a monarch. Meanwhile, this was happening around 10pm.
“On getting the monarch of the place, he then linked up with the Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers who called in the police and the DSS who came and took me away,” Eze Udenkwo further narrated.
As at the time of filing this report, no official statement had come from the Imo Police Command on the Monarch’s freedom.
