Kidnapping in Sisters City farm

My name is Olutosin. I am the founder of Star of Hope Transformation Center in Nigeria.

Our offices are in Ibasa, Lagos and Owo, Ondo state. our organisation has six fingers

1. Tosin turns trash to treasure training...

2. Skill acqusition programmes for women and girls ...

3. Scholarship programmes for children in Ondo and Lagos states

4. Otun Food Bank Lagos and Ondo states

5. Sisters City housing and orchard programmes

6. Free farm for Female and Sustainability Farms in Utelu ...

We have been working this past 10 years in Ibasa but in 2021, we moved to work in Utelu Owo and started with the free farm and the sisters city project. Sisters city is a free accommodationprogramme for indigent women who cant afford rent.

Women are free to live in Sisters city for 3 years, and they are free to learn a new skill for free or trade or work anywhere they find any other works to do... but they must work to save money to transform their own lives.

When I came to Owo for a free training four years ago and saw the deplorable condition of some women, I knew that I must do something, because if the existing structure does not permit development and progress of indigent women, the structure must change.

This is exactly why I relocated to Owo to work with women and see what we can do together to make change happen.

Our food bank has grown far than I could ever imagine and we ensure that we expanded to other areas as long as it is safe and secure for us to travel.

Although, Otun food bank cannot meet up with the foodstuffs demand facing us, both in Ondo and Lagos states, because there are too many old and struggling women who continue to contact us for free foor foodstuffs, that is the major reason why I decided to start farming.

We canot survive on buying foodstuffs only, in addition, I do not want a situation where the programme will end abruptly because of reasons beyond my power or control, so I prefer to farm for a sustainable project.

Starting our farms in Utelu Owo is a major landmark in the history of our organisation and even in my personal life, I dreamt and I created it....and I have decided to put in my best possible to ensure the success of these projects.

We have gone too far to give up and too optimistic to fail.

Early this year we also started a garri cooperative programme with some Utelu women, they were so glad to see an organisation who remembered them, that is how far we go to ensure that we have all round impacts.

In addition, we also included the recycled bags veggie farm method which our neighbours have also started to emulate the idea by starting his own innovative bag farms too, in Utelu, we continue to support their girls with schol bags and school shoes.

Kidnapping in Utelu

On the 27th of April, 2022, at exactly 3.00pm, the unexpected happened.

We were in class attending training on transformation, when we began to hear gunshots in our farm.

For clearer understanding..... Utelu is 5 minutes drive from Owo, Sisters city is in Utelu and the farm is One minute drive from Sisters city.

There are many Fulani herdsmen in Utelu, we live peacefully with them, though they always encroach on our land, grazing their cows inside our farms, the farms are fenced with bamboos but they will alwaye forcefully enter our farm.

I usually BEG these young FULANI boys but they refused to desist.

I accepted my fate and decided to live with the reality that Fulani herdsmen are the leaders in Nigeria.

As the training was going on that fateful day When, I heard four gunshots, and I came outside the classroom, when I saw the workers running towards me, they were screaming that Boko haram had invaded free farms for women. .....they explained that they saw four men, who came out of the street, wearing soldiers uniform and carrying soldiers riffles. ......Ahhhh FOUR fulani men, in soldiers uniform, with gun and shooting indiscriminately...

I was so frightened and we began to run.... My younger brother had gone to check what the workers were doing, I couldnt accompany him as we do daily because I was teaching...Transformative Development.. A new program.

These dare devil men kidnapped my brother in my stead.

They told them to run or die. THE WORKERS RAN FOR THEIR DEAR LIVES, leaving my younger brother to his fate..... they switched off his phone immediately and took him away.

They did not steal the truck. They left it .

At 9pm on Wednesday, they began to call my number.

I refused to pick their calls as advised.....and they started to call my sister in law ....the victim's wife......she picked their calls and begged them to release her husband. They were calling 6 times daily and more....

That was when they demanded 30 Million Naira from me, that's about $60,000.

I have never owned such an amount of money before. They instructed me to sell my house and the vehicles. For five days, they kidnapped him, they beat him and asked us to listen as he wept and begged for his life.

The traumatic experience will live with me forever.

We begged .

We prayed

We lived in daily nightmare as they vowed to waste his life if we did not pay the ransom.

Oh Yes ooo, we informed kings and government officials and Amotekun and everyone we could reach. There was nothing they could do about it because kidnapping has become the daily reality of many communities in Nigeria.. .the were also afraid that he might be shot if they knew that they were being trailed......my family prayed and phoned and begged but these men didn't bulge.

They tortured him do much that he can no longer walk!!

Nigeria has changed. We are even forbidden to call them boko haram or fulani herdmens we are forbidden to pay ranson, it is against the law.

Yet people die daily in the hands of their abductors in Nigeria. I live in perpetual fear of kidnappers.

Many friends will say they warned me not to post pictures of my works. Keep your warning inside your pockets ...

Warn the government about the evil of allowing bandits to lead communities.

Warn the government about their apathy and fear of Fulani herdsmen Warn your government about the legacy they live behind.....

Warn your government about what posterity will remember them for their sit down and look as boko haram and Fulani continue to reap where they do not sow.

Warn your leaders, you hypocrites.

I have told my best friend to help me to educate my two daughters if I die in the struggle.

She has promised to ensure that Tobi my daughter and Divine the yonger girl have access to good education after my death.

For my friends who support our scholarship programme, Please do not abandon them if I am killed in the struggle.

Ensure that Sisters city continues and it becomes one of the many to be birthed by my sisters in various part of the globe.

Some Solutions

1. I have been asked to build a police station in Utelu. Government will post police for security.

We need this urgently but I don't have such resources to build such security post.

2. I have started fencing sisters city after the fall of the fence. Please help me to finish the fencing.

3. We need to grade or smoothing Utelu Road.....the road is horrible. It is less than 3 kilometres.

Please help me. Don't bother about Government. They have a lot on their hands now.

4. We need electricity in Utelu. Street light only.

Please help if you can. Solar street lights.

I appreciate you always. Thank you very much for your kindness and prayers.

May Almighty God be kind to you 🙏 Amen.

Inbox me if you want to help in anyway you can. I will forever be grateful 🙏.

Aluta continua.