Renowned Nigerian lawyer and human rights advocate, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has opened up about the traumatic experience of being kidnapped, revealing shocking details of the attack and its tragic aftermath.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Ozekhome described how he was abducted by gunmen who, at the time, had no idea of his identity. The abduction took a deadly turn when police officers attempting a rescue operation were killed right before his eyes.
The legal luminary explained that it wasn’t until days into his captivity that the kidnappers realized who he was. The discovery, he said, led to a surprising shift in their behavior.
“They didn’t know who I was when they took me. But when they found out, everything changed. They even expressed regret,” Ozekhome revealed.
He described the incident as not only terrifying but also deeply sorrowful, emphasizing the senseless loss of lives and the emotional toll it took on him.
Ozekhome’s story sheds light on the increasing insecurity in Nigeria and the personal cost paid by many, even those working to uphold justice and human rights.
He said, “The full policemen that were coming to my aid were brutally gunned down in my presence. And the kidnappers made it clear that they didn’t profile me; they didn’t know who I was. It was about two days later when the news filtered that they knew. And they came to me and said, Sorry, sir, we didn’t know it was you we kidnapped. Had we known, we would have gone to drop you back because you have been fighting for the common man, including us. It was so touching.”
