I Did Not Expect To See My Father Again – Chimamanda Adichie

Chimamanda Adichie has shared a story from a few years ago, precisely in 2015 when her dad was kidnapped.

“Her husband told her that her father had been kidnapped, and she screamed, then vomited, then started to cry,” writes The New Yorker.

Two hours after the incident, her mother received a phone call from the kidnappers. They didn’t say much but to confirm the elder Adichie had been truly kidnapped. The kidnappers did not make any demand till the next day. During this period of silence, Chimamanda Adichie called the Governor of Anambra state, her home state and the US consul-general in Lagos because her father is a citizen.

The consul provided her with a kidnapping expert from the F.B.I. who helped her mum when the kidnappers demanded a ransom the next day. The kidnappers wanted N5M. On the third day, the ransom had gone up to N10M.

“Okey drove to a point on the highway near Nsukka, then, as instructed, set off on a motorcycle taxi for the designated meeting place, carrying ten million naira in a sack. Nobody knew if he would be seen again” writes the New Yorker.

Thankfully he was seen again and Chimamanda’s father too. After the horrible ordeal, Chimamanda’s parents got on a flight to America to meet their daughter. According to the article, the ordeal made Professor David Adichie look frail and jumpy. “He rambled when he spoke” further writes The New Yorker.

Due to the bad experience, Chimamanda Adichie did not go to Nigeria or read news about Nigeria for six months.