A popular Nigerian comedian, Odey Mathias, widely known as General Odey, has recounted his harrowing 50-day ordeal in the custody of kidnappers, who collected a total ransom of ₦8 million before releasing him.
Odey, who shared his experience on The Morning Brief programme on Channels Television on Thursday, said he was abducted on April 18, 2025, alongside 23 others while traveling to Calabar through the Oron/Uyo waterways.
According to him, armed kidnappers ambushed their boat, opened fire, and forced them onto another vessel before ferrying them to an unknown creek community.
“It was a very horrible experience, an unimaginable one that I won’t even wish for my enemy,” he narrated.
The comedian explained that while most of the abductees were released earlier, his detention was prolonged because the kidnappers mistook him for a soldier due to the military-style uniform he was wearing.
“They drilled us, beat us, and starved us. We were not allowed to look at their faces. Anytime you mistakenly did, they would hit you,” he recalled.
Odey said the camp resembled a settlement, with families living among the kidnappers, who freely played loud music and fired gunshots into the air. He also revealed that hostages were taken to specific spots with strong network signals to negotiate ransom with their families.
“I wasn’t allowed to contact my family often. I only spoke to my wife twice—once a week after the abduction and on the day I was released,” he said.
On the ransom payment, Odey disclosed that his family initially paid over ₦3 million, but the criminals demanded more after learning security agencies were working to track them.
“When I came out, I discovered they had collected the money in two installments. The first was a little over three million, but they insisted on another payment. In total, it came to about eight million naira,” he said.
The entertainer lamented that the psychological scars of the abduction remain with him, stressing that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity requires urgent government action.
His revelation adds to growing concerns over incessant kidnappings across the country, especially along waterways and highways, where travellers and communities continue to live in fear.
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