On January 17, 2023, Henry Edobor Okunrobo, a 47-year-old horticulturist from the Obadore community in Lagos, found himself facing a terrifying ordeal that would alter the course of his life. What began as a normal day quickly spiraled into a nightmare when he was kidnapped while searching for food. His captors had sinister plans, intending to use him as a human sacrifice. However, a twist of fate spared his life when they deemed him unsuitable due to missing teeth. Rather than being sacrificed, he was sold into slavery.
In an interview with Vanguard, Okunrobo recounted his traumatic experience, lamenting, “If I had known that my day would end in abduction… I would have stayed home.” He bravely resisted during his capture, which resulted in severe violence; he endured multiple blows to the mouth, leading to the loss of three front teeth. This injury ultimately saved his life, as his captors later deemed him “incomplete” and unsuitable for their ritual.
After being rejected by two ritualists in Ogun State, Okunrobo’s abductors opted to sell him instead. He was sold to a farmer who managed a sizable farm with other slaves.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, his family and friends were frantic with worry. They filed a missing persons report at the Igando Police Station and searched hospitals and police stations, hoping for any news of him.
As the weeks turned into months without any information, their hope began to fade. In a tragic turn, his family even held a wake for him, convinced he had died.
The nightmare lasted for one year and nine months until Okunrobo made a miraculous return. “I just appeared like a ghost,” he recalled, reflecting on his reappearance. He shared his experience with Saturday Vanguard, explaining how it all began.
“My name is Henry Edobor Okunrobo, but I’m widely known as Epa 1 of Obadore,” he said. An ardent advocate for political change during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential elections, Okunrobo had garnered attention for his support of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, drawing both admirers and critics from various political groups.
On the night he was kidnapped, following a campaign event, Okunrobo noticed suspicious activity from a black SUV. “Masked men… demanded, ‘Get in the car now or die here,’” he recalled. Although he tried to alert others, he was quickly overpowered and taken away without anyone noticing.
During his seven-day captivity in a remote location, he faced the constant threat of sacrifice. “I was tied up, prepared for sacrifice, but they provided me meals three times a day,” he described. It was another captive who revealed the grim reality of their situation to him.
Eventually, after being moved between various locations and facing more threats, Okunrobo managed to escape from his captors. His return home was marked by an emotional reunion with friends who had nearly lost hope of seeing him alive. “Reuniting with my friends felt like a miracle,” he said.
However, the repercussions of his ordeal were profound; upon his return, he discovered that his wife and children had moved to Benin City, believing he was dead. The flowers he once tended had withered in his absence, leaving him without a source of income.
Despite the difficulties and the emotional toll of his experience, Okunrobo has emerged as a symbol of resilience. He has reaffirmed his dedication to advocating for human rights and social justice in Nigeria. “Though the trauma… will stay with me forever,” he stated resolutely, “my voice has grown stronger than ever.”
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