In a distressing incident in Emure Ekiti, Kidnappers intercepted a school bus from Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, abducting five pupils and four staff members.
The victims were seized on Monday, and the kidnappers have since demanded a staggering N100 million ransom for their release.
The principal of the secondary section, Boje Olanireti, confirmed the ransom demand in an interview with Punch, shedding light on the harrowing event.
According to Olanireti, the abduction occurred about a five-minute drive from the school, shortly after the school closed at 3 pm.
She said, “Immediately the school closed at 3 pm, and by the time we gathered all the children, it was already 3:30 pm. It was that time that they moved.
So, the incident happened between 3:30 pm and 4 pm. 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.
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“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.”
In addition, Olanireti articulated, “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.’’
“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 N10 million for each kidnapped victim. But when they later called the headmaster, they demanded N100m for all of them.” the principal disclosed.
A family source in Eporo Ekiti, who opted to remain anonymous, confirmed the ransom demand on Tuesday and expressed the financial strain on the affected families. “None of the families of the abductees can afford the ransom,” the source lamented.