Apianome Kasereka returned home on Monday evening after being kidnapped late in the morning of the same day. The DCMP defender was released after paying a ransom to his torturers.
It was not a police stop as thought at first sight, but a kidnapping of which Apianome Kasereka was victim. The right-back of Daring Club Motema Pembe had been declared missing by his family after being stopped late Monday morning by a group of people, some of whom were dressed in Congolese Police uniforms. These men initially pretended to arrest him because of his hairstyle. The facts occurred in the Ma campagne district, in the commune of Ngaliema in Kinshasa.
The young defender told Sport News Africa about his ordeal after his relaxation after more than seven hours of detention.
"After our victory against Saint Michel United, the president gave us a bonus and I had to send money to one of my teammates. While I was going out to look for a mobile money point to make the transaction, I saw several men, some dressed in police uniform and others in civilian clothes. They told me about my haircut (locks) and said that their superior needed me. And while I was trying to see my superior, they rushed to throw me into their vehicle," said Apianome Kasereka.
The longest day
After his abduction, Apianome Kasereka was taken far away from his neighborhood by his captors who proceeded to kidnap more people on the way before torturing their captives. "Once inside the vehicle, they told me that we were going to the gendarmerie, I was reassured because I knew that I was going to go home quickly. But after several kilometers, I realized that it was a kidnapping because we had passed several police stations without stopping and on the way they kidnapped three other boys. They tied our arms very tightly like thieves, they beat seriously all those who dared to speak. They even strangled two of the more resistant detainees and stabbed one of them. I stayed there, very calm. I spent the longest day of my life," he confided.
A ransom demanded
The kidnapping theory was confirmed after the kidnappers demanded a ransom to release him, explained Apianome Kasereka: "After several hours of kidnapping, one of the kidnappers asked me to give everything I had to be released. This, when they had already taken everything from me. I told them that I had nothing left and they told me that they were not going to release me if I did not give them 510 euros. I couldn't give them that amount of money. So I offered them 200 euros, they accepted. They didn't know who I was. I asked them to give me the phone to call my wife; they did so and gave me the number of one of the co-detainees to make the transfer. My wife sent the money and they released me around 7pm after kidnapping me around 11am. They took everything but the phone, which they certainly forgot to take back after giving it to me to call my wife," he said.
Apianom Kasereka was released more than 25 km from his home, which he then returned to. He is still in some physical pain from the torture he suffered. An investigation has been opened to try to arrest the perpetrators. Apianome Kasereka was a starter for DCMP in the second leg of the second preliminary round of the Confederation Cup against Saint Michel of the Seychelles last Sunday (2-0).
