Pastor's Bold Stand Against Kidnappers Goes Viral
A Nigerian pastor has captured national attention after sharing his courageous response to bandits who kidnapped one of his church members and demanded an outrageous ransom. The incident, which occurred recently, has sparked widespread discussion about the security situation in the country.
The Shocking Ransom Demand
According to Pastor Gideon Odoma, who shared the details on his X (formerly Twitter) account @gideonodoma, kidnappers abducted a church member and subsequently demanded five brand new motorcycles, with each bike valued at approximately ₦2 million. This brought the total ransom demand to a staggering ₦10 million.
The pastor expressed his outrage at the demand, noting that this wasn't the first time bandits had made such a request. In his viral post, he revealed: "This is the same bike they demanded from us last month, when they kidnapped one of our members. Each of that bike is over 2m Naira and the evil monsters were demanding for five. Like 5 bikes!!!"
The Pastor's Logical Response
Rather than complying with the demand, Pastor Odoma took a different approach that has earned him praise across social media platforms. He instructed the negotiator to deliver a straightforward message to the kidnappers that highlighted the absurdity of their request.
"I told the negotiator to tell the beasts that if the brother's family could afford such a ransom, would he be in the sort of public vehicle from whence they kidnapped him? People with that kind of money don't travel on such roads as passengers in public buses. 5 bikes, how!?" the pastor explained in his post.
He concluded his message with a poignant observation about the state of the nation: "Nigeria! See, this is not how to be a nation."
Nigerians React to Pastor's Stand
The pastor's post immediately went viral, attracting numerous comments from Nigerians expressing their views on the situation. User @anasuachara commented: "Greed and cruelty reveal the heart of evil, because no demand can justify the harm done to innocent lives."
Another user, @Olufreebies, raised concerns about community involvement: "Something is definitely not right in the north. The community members are collaborators. Because tell me how this massive number of bikes are fueled and securities agencies don't know."
Security suggestions also emerged, with @Towncraya proposing: "If the intelligence agencies were really intelligent, what happens to providing the five bikes on behalf of the family, rigging them with hidden location trackers and taking out the bandit herds in airstrike after hostage release?"
The discussion also touched on the specific type of motorcycle demanded, with @nnamdiahukanna noting: "I heard that bike runs through the sahel, bush and shrubs like fish in water, and the tyres are strong and hardly ever puncture."
This incident occurs against the backdrop of increasing bandit activities across Nigeria, particularly in northern regions, where kidnapping for ransom has become a widespread criminal enterprise affecting communities, religious institutions, and educational establishments.
