Hope hangs by a thread for nine victims, five pupils and four staff members, of Apostolic Faith Group of Schools in Emure Ekiti, as their abductors have demanded a staggering N100 million ransom for their release.
The chilling demand was confirmed by the principal of the school’s secondary section, Boje Olanireti, in an interview with NEWSMEN on Tuesday. This revelation plunged the entire community into deeper anxiety, adding to the heartbreak triggered by the Monday abduction.
The abduction of the schoolchildren and four staff members occurred when the school bus conveying 25 pupils home after school hours was waylaid by the gunmen in the Emure community in Ekiti State.
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Shedding light on how the incident occurred, Olanireti explained that the abduction occurred about a five-minute drive from the school.
She said,
“Immediately the school closed at 3pm, and by the time we gathered all the children, it was already 3:30pm. It was that time that they moved. So, the incident happened between 3:30pm and 4pm. The school is in a suburb of Emure village, so they were going back home in Eporo. The incident occurred just about a five-minute drive from the school to Eporo.
“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.
“The security operatives have also been talking to the proprietor of the primary school and he has been giving them information. By the time they opened communication, they first called the husband of one of the teachers and demanded N10m for each kidnapped victim. But when they later called the headmaster, they demanded N100m for all of them.” the principal said.
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Details regarding the circumstances of the kidnapping remain unclear, and authorities are tight-lipped about their ongoing investigation. However, the high ransom demand paints a worrying picture of the abductors’ intentions and the potential risks faced by the captives.
This incident has sent shockwaves through Ekiti State, sparking outrage and demands for immediate action from security agencies. Governor Biodun Oyebanji has assured the public that “all hands are on deck” to rescue the abductees, but questions remain about the effectiveness of past efforts to combat rising insecurity in the region.
The plight of the kidnapped pupils and staff has captured the national spotlight, drawing sympathy and solidarity from across the country. Social media platforms overflow with prayers and well wishes for the victims’ safe return, while some call for stricter regulations on private schools and more robust security measures in vulnerable areas.
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