The native doctor said he witnessed his abductors kill several people.
Chukwudozie Nwangwu, a popular native doctor in Anambra State, who was kidnapped by gunmen on Sunday night has been released.
His was abducted about six days ago.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Nwangwu, otherwise known as "Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki," was abducted from his Triple P Hotel on Sunday when the gunmen attacked him and shot dead two of his security aides.
The incident happened at Oba, a community in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
'Release of the native doctor'
Sources told this newspaper that the native doctor was released on Saturday morning after reportedly paying an undisclosed amount of money as ransom.
When contacted, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the release of the native doctor to PREMIUM TIMES.
"Yes. I can confirm to you that he has been released by the kidnappers," he said.
Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said he has no information about the circumstances surrounding his release.
The police spokesperson said the native doctor would be "debriefed" so that the police would know the next line of action.
The native doctor speaks
Mr Nwangwu, the native doctor, on Saturday morning, confirmed his release in a video clip which has gone viral on Facebook page.
The native doctor was seen in the clip narrating to his supporters and friends how he was attacked by the hoodlums.
He said he was at one of his hotels around 11:30 p.m. on that fateful night when somebody known as Okey Japan, asked him to come over to another of his hotel.
"Okey Japan said he wanted to see me because it was his first time coming to my hotel. So, I drove my new car to the hotel without anybody with me. Not up to 30 minutes after I arrived there, gunshots started raining," Mr Nwangwu said in Igbo language.
The native doctor said the kidnappers killed two of his security men and others in the hotel fled.
"When I came out to know what was wrong, they began shooting at me, but I know who I am. They subsequently dragged me into their vehicle and zoomed off.
"If I had wanted to run, I would have run, but I had seen people they would shoot at, if I dared to run. What I did was to save the souls of others. I followed them so I would also not be accused of bringing the kidnappers," he narrated.
The native doctor said he was infuriated by "nonsense" remarks made by several persons on radio and social media after he was kidnapped.
He did not give details of where he was taken to and what transpired where he was kept.
Pro-Biafra agitators?
Mr Nwangwu said the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons, including rocket launchers and and that they were on lookout for the rich and powerful.
He suggested that the attackers could be part of the group agitating for a sovereign state of Biafra, but did not give details.
"They called names of people they would attack later, but I wouldn't say it myself. Many, about 20, were killed in my presence. They said they wanted to kidnap 50 people.
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"Even the sit-at-home we observe, in fact the people are angry. There is something they are complaining about. They want to clear everywhere so that they would be taken seriously," the native doctor stated.
Sit-at-home order has become a strategy often adopted by pro-Biafra groups in the South-east to protest the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, a group leading the agitation for the secession of the South-east and some parts of the South-south regions from Nigeria.
Ransom paid?
There are speculations that the native doctor paid about N300 million and additional N50 million to secure his release.
But PREMIUM TIMES could not verify the claim.
As of the time of this report, the native doctor has not mentioned if he paid any ransom or not.
