Teachers and Pupils of Nigerian Turkish International School Kidnapped| Abductors Refuse to Release Pupils after Collecting Ransom

On the 13th of January, unknown gunmen stormed the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, Isheri, Ogun State, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at about 9.30pm and held hostage two staff members and three pupils and two others that were in the school for coaching for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Speaking with the Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the story, to Punch stated that the staff members, who are Turkish nationals and the schoolchildren were abducted on Friday evening.

”I just called the division which covers the area and it is true. According to the information at my disposal, the victims were abducted at gunpoint on the school premises. We do not know yet if some Nigerian staff members were among those kidnapped.

I have deployed the anti-kidnapping unit and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad as well as other police operatives in the area. Even the area commander of Sagamu and all the divisional police officers of surrounding areas are on the ground. He has directed that the kidnapped victims must be rescued unhurt,” Oyeyemi stated.

According to another report, the school said that its security noticed some movement on the CCTV camera at the girls’ section and promptly deployed security personnel and alerted the relevant security agencies in the area.

The management added that the gunmen opened fire on the security staff and managed to escape with the hostages.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers had earlier demanded N100 million for each of the students, and N300 million each for the Turkish nationals.

After the kidnap, parents withdrew their children from the school, and it was shut down. It was also gathered that the kidnappers had reduced the amount earlier last week, but the parents still couldn’t afford it.

“The parents met at Ikeja. They were able to gather N7.250m. They got in touch with the kidnappers, but the men said the money was too small. They asked them to go and add more to the money, if they wanted their kids to be released,” a source told New Telegraph.

The kidnappers reportedly promised to release their victims on Friday night after their relatives dropped off the ransom at the agreed spot.

While some were asked to go to certain locations in Ogun and Ondo states, others were directed to wait at Agboju, on the Badagry Expressway around 9pm on Friday, 20.

But they reneged on the agreement on allegation that some of the relatives brought security operatives to the designated places. Distraught parents and relatives are wondering what next after their hope of reuniting with their loved ones was dashed durimg the weekend.

The Nation reports that the parents, however, pleaded with the police to stay off the matter, insisting that since they had paid the ransom, they were only interested in having their children back.

A woman, who pleaded not to be named for security reasons, said her family paid N5million on Friday.

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”What else do they want us to do? We paid N5 million and yet they have refused to release my little girl. This is the ninth day and the longest of all such incidents in schools ever witnessed. Is this a repeat of Chibok girls abduction? The most annoying part is that the Ogun State government seems to be adamant over this. Apart from the day the Deputy Governor visited the school and assured us that they would be released, nothing has been heard from the government.

One would have expected that such kidnap in a foreign school should be given the needed attention, so as to redeem our image internationally, but no! They have left us to our fate because it is not their children that are involved. The police keep assuring us that they would release them. How long do they want us to wait, for eternity?”

The Ogun state police spokesman said:

“We are very optimistic. We believe that we would rescue the girls soon. It is not true that we have not been talking with the parents. How can we abandon them? It will be unfair for any parent to say so because it is far from the truth. The only thing is that we can not reveal the strategy we are taking because that may jeopardise our efforts.”

Also, the Inspector- General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has arrested two suspects – Philip Joel Kakadu (aka General Kakadu), 29, a native of Egbema Kingdom, Warri North Local Government Area and Romeo Council, 40, (aka Raw).

Kakadu confessed to the police that the abduction was, a ‘Joint Operation,’ among three different gangs of kidnappers. He told police that he contributed five men and planned the abduction, but didn’t go with them.

Presently, five confirmed suspects, including a woman, are among the suspects in police custody.