The Governor of Ekiti State, Abiodun Oyebanji, is facing a distressing situation as kidnappers have seized five students and four staff members from Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure Ekiti. The abductors have issued a ransom demand of N100m for the release of the nine victims, who were taken away on Monday.
Boje Olanireti, the principal of the school’s secondary section, confirmed the ransom demand during an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday. Despite ongoing efforts by security agencies, the alarming trend of kidnappings persists across various regions of the country.
The abduction of the schoolchildren and staff occurred as the bus, transporting 25 pupils home after school hours, was ambushed by the gunmen in Emure community. Olanireti provided details, explaining that the incident took place about a five-minute drive from the school.
According to Olanireti, the attack occurred between 3:30 pm and 4 pm, shortly after school hours. The gunmen, after shooting the bus’s tire, instructed the children to disembark and lie down. They selected five students from both primary and secondary levels, along with four staff members, which included two teachers, a driver, and a bus assistant. The remaining students were allowed to leave.
Upon learning of the incident, parents from Eporo, the victims’ hometown, took swift action, contacting various security outfits, including the police and Amotekun. The kidnappers initially demanded N10m for each victim when communicating with one of the teachers’ husbands. However, upon contacting the headmaster, they increased the ransom demand to N100m for the release of all the victims. A source from Eporo Ekiti confirmed on Tuesday that the kidnappers had contacted one of the children’s families, demanding N100m for the victims.
