Thank God I am alive.
By Chris Iheuwa
Our movie making job takes us to various locations , towns , villages, States and in some cases countries.
I had rounded up filming a flick with Biodun Stephen at Peaceville Estate in Thomas Estate within the neighborhood of Ajah inward Epe, outskirts of Lagos State and was heading home to the other side of town, Ikeja GRA to be precise, when I a call came through on my phone.
Hello I bellowed, in my official voice to an unknown line or an unfamiliar number.
"Good afternoon Sir, is this Chris, please?" the female voice from the other end of the line enquired...some how , there's a 'let your guards down' effect the female folk voice has on men, I must confess , I am no exception.
Yes , this is he ...how can I help please...I enquired.
"My name is Ama Pepple, I am calling from Rumuola in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a Producer gave us your name and number, we are working on a movie project and would like for you to be part of it "
Thank you for reaching out Ms Pepple, I responded...and in my usual manner I enquired ... may I have the date, the script so I can go through before we discuss artiste fees.
"Ok Sir..." she responded ...
A week later, we agreed on date, artiste fees, costume and location for the shoot in PH, Rivers State.
Days afterwards, I received a travel document on Air Peace for PH,
I informed my people , gave them the details of the shoot and the officials , called my friend the Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State that I was PH bound.
Some hours later we arrived PH and the Artiste Liaison Officer came to pick me from the airport or so I thought .
I called my friend the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) and informed him of my presence in his precinct, he asked for the address and I asked the ALO who came for me, I noticed he was very hesitant to answer me but eventually blurted out the area albeit uncomfortably.
The address I forwarded to my friend, a little over 30 minutes later we arrived what I observed to be a posh area behind D-Line in Rumuola an area in Obi-Akpor LGA in Rivers State .
I noticed the area was very quiet and looked secluded and uninhabited, even in very bougeousy areas you'll still find people even security men, or mallams selling stuff from their gate house windows.
This didn't go unnoticed to me and I discreetly forwarded my map pin to my friend the PPRO.
Shortly after we arrived into a very affluent looking apartment , the edifice itself looked uninhabited and had very few signes of human inhabitance.
I did a panaromic view of the apartment, to my left, was a gate house and further down I saw a kernel with what looked like well trained German Shepherd Dogs all training their ferocious eyes on me.
Further down , I saw a walk way with lush green lawns that seemed to stretch further than the eyes could see but also disappearing at a sudden curb as if it was meant to confuse one.
To my right I saw a couple of luxurious cars and make shift production bus hurriedly adorned with posters of movies past.
A similar lawn with well manicured lawns similar to the one to the right but with a cacophony of criss crossed cactus and hibiscus flower pots littering the disappearing curve of the curb.
As I was being ushered in, I quickly took some snaps of the environ and sent via WhatsApp to my friend not sure if the house had an inbuilt internet disabler.
Inside was a lavishly decorated living room with gold trimmings and ornaments and a wall drapping sandwiched by stock heads of wild animals hunted down for their precious horns and ivory tusks.
I sat down and was immediately offered a choice of water , wine or beer.
Totally jettisoning the subconscious alarms ringing in my head warning me to decline both, I innocently accepted a choice of cold water, I should have known better when it arrived , served by a lady who seemed unsure of herself and literarily shivering , again this should have warned me.
After dropping the water off a glass cup on top of a very thick side table , she was surmoned immediately but not before she gave me a very cold look filled with fear and danger alarms ringing , stupid me did not take note .
I gulped down the water in one fell swoop and requested to see my co actors and the crew , at this time I was frightenly alone until yet another steward , this time a much more assured looking male steward sundered in , picked up the remote control of a very wide tv set with similar dimentions of a vertically placed ping pong board, he turned it on and requested if I wanted to watch a Nollywood movie or a foreign one , I answered in the later and allowed myself to be enveloped in the comfortably well made leather settee I had settled in.
I requested for the bathroom as he was about to leave and also enquired about the other crew members and my co actors , he mumbled "they'll see you shortly, and the right door to your left" to both my questions.
I could have sworn I staggered to get up from my enveloping settee to navigate the bathroom as he described , feeling like I was staggering , I made for the white door with a male miniature emoji indicating boys room on the door.
The bathroom had a 2' x 2' window installed and as I struggled with my quasi consciousness to unzip my fly, I could have sworn I heard voices speaking in hush tones deciding how much to make off my body parts.
After I was done and flushed, which I later realized to be a mistake , I observed the hosh toned voices had subsided and foot steps had taken over hurriedly leaving the bathroom window I had just used... I managed to send an SOS message to my friend fearing the worst and his urgent arrival to my rescue , with a last minute message not to come alone.
After I confirmed he had received the message and confirmation of his quick "Copy that, stay calm and do not give away your fears feedback" I quickly pocketed my phone , opened the door and fell straight into the arms of four heavily built men who started manhandling me and asking what I had heard, a quick upper court to my jugular by one of the men after series of migraine inducing slaps and punches and I passed out.
I came to the Airforce Medical Facility by Rumukrushi Road and my friend was there to assure me all was well.
I had narrowly escaped a case of Ritualists and Cultists who were rampant in that side of PH.
My friend told me I was lucky and my updates had made things easy for him and his men as well as the IGP Anti Kidnapping Team who worked together to have me and about 20 other victims rescued.
Sadly two other victims were not that lucky as they had been dismembered , butchered and their parts packed for human organ traders , dealers and merchants.
Pease be careful where you go, and always leave a forwarding address, phone numbers and names to loved ones and possibly a member of the security agency.
The world is indeed now a very dangerous place and Nigeria is not exempted.
Chris Iheuwa
June 4th 2021
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