Abductors demand N100m for Ekiti schoolchildren, teachers

• Jan 31, 2024
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The kidnapping crisis in Nigeria has taken a new turn as gunmen have abducted 10 people, including six pupils and four staff members, from a school in Ekiti State. The abductors are demanding N100m ransom for the release of the victims.

The incident occurred on Monday evening, when the school bus of Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure Ekiti, was intercepted by the gunmen in Eporo Ekiti, near the Ondo State boundary. The gunmen ordered the occupants of the bus to lie down and selected five pupils, two teachers, one driver and one bus assistant to take away. They left the rest of the pupils and staff behind.

The principal of the secondary section of the school, Boje Olanireti, confirmed the abduction and the ransom demand, in an interview with The PUNCH. She said the kidnappers first contacted the husband of one of the teachers and asked for N10m for each of the 10 victims.

The parents and relatives of the victims are in a state of panic and confusion, as they appeal to the state and federal governments, as well as the security agencies, to intervene and secure the safe return of their loved ones.

The abduction of the schoolchildren and staff members came on the same day that two traditional rulers in Ekiti State were killed by gunmen, while another one narrowly escaped. The monarchs were returning from a function in Kogi State when they ran into the suspected kidnappers who were operating on the highway between Ipao and Oke Ako in the Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

The kidnapping epidemic has continued to defy the efforts of the security agencies, as cases of kidnappings are being recorded in various parts of the country daily. The Governor of Ekiti State, Abiodun Oyebanji, has condemned the spate of kidnappings and killings in the state, and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.