Kidnappers Want N100 Million To Release The Five Kidnapped Students, Teachers, And School Bus Driver

The kidnappers of five students and four staff members from Apostolic Faith Group of Schools in Emure, Ekiti, are demanding N100 million in exchange for their release, while security personnel are stepping up their efforts to rescue them.

Following their demand for a ransom of N100 million from the gunmen who kidnapped five students, three teachers, the driver, and a bus assistant from Apostolic Faith Group of Schools in Emure, Ekiti, parents are now experiencing anxiety.

The victims were abducted on Monday night by gunmen along Eporo Road, which is five minutes' drive from the school.

They sought a ransom of N10 million for each victim.

This occurs following the Monday murders of two monarchs: Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin, the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, and Oba Olatunde Olusola, the Onimojo of Imojo. Oba Adebayo Fatoba, the Alara of Ara Ekiti, just about managed to escape.

The kidnappers contacted the school to demand N100 million for the ten victims they had kidnapped, according to Boje Olanireti, the secondary section principal.

According to Olanireti, the victims were being abducted at 4 p.m. as they were returning to Eporo. She mentioned that the school is located in an Emure Village suburb.

There are three elementary and two secondary school students among the abducted students, along with two teachers, a driver, and a bus assistant.

As per her, “When the gunmen attacked, the people around heard the gunshots and they came to Emure with motorcycles to inform the people in the school about what happened. We Immediately reported to the police station at Emure.

“The students were over 25 on the bus when the incident happened. When the gunmen attacked them, they shot the tyre of the vehicle and asked the children to come out of the bus. They asked all of them to lie down. They picked five students and four staff members. They, after that, asked others to go.”

She continued “The five students comprise two from the secondary (school) and three from primary school while the four staff comprise two teachers, one driver and one bus assistant.

“When the parents heard about the incident, they came from Eporo and they have been making frantic efforts by reaching out to some security outfits, including the police and Amotekun.”

According to police spokesperson Sunday Abutu, five suspects—Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Suleiman Abdulah, and Isah Abdullahi—have been taken into custody by security forces comprising the police, army, Amotekun, NSCDC, and hunters. They turned up with four phones, a cutlass, a dagger, and two motorcycles.

“As a follow up to this, Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was on a long call with me yesterday, to commiserate with the State and to give a firm assurance that everything will be done to ensure such a dastardly act never repeats itself. He is mobilizing security resources to help in bringing the killers to book and in rescuing the abducted children and their teachers. I am very thankful to the President for his solidarity and support at this time. I have also visited the concerned communities and the Chairman of the Traditional Council to commiserate and also reassure them of the Government's strong resolve to confront this ugly trend,” the governor stated.

The incident was attributed to porous boundaries by Tunji Falana, the Chairman of the Joint Security Committee of Ise, Emure, and Ikere, who stated, “The boundaries are too porous.” We have been pleading with the government to set up army checkpoints and police stations at the borders.

“This is not the first time kidnappers would kidnap people there. The place is porous. But in this kidnap case, the Kabiyesi, the Elemure of Emure Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo, a former commissioner of police, is working round the clock to ensure the release of the abductees.”