Igbonla: Parents fret as kidnappers, school, govt keep mum

Parents of the six students, who were abducted from the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe on Thursday by militant kidnappers, have accused the school management and Lagos State Government of being insensitive to their plight.

This was even as they complained that the graveyard silence from the school, government and the kidnappers was strangely disturbing.

They said that everyone was acting as if nothing happened.

One of them said: “The school and government are acting as if six of our children were not abducted. They were abducted in the school compound.”

The students, Yusuf Faruq, Rahmon Isiaka, Pelumi Philips, Peter Jonans, Adebanjo George and Judah Agbaosi were abducted in their hostels Thursday morning.

The kidnappers, who contacted parents on Saturday, demanded for N1billion ransom, insisting that Lagos State Government should pay the ransom.

According to the parents, the kidnappers during a phone conversation told them they didn’t have issues with the parents, but with the school management and the state government.

One of the parents said: “We have been calling one another, asking if the kidnappers have further contacted any parents. But they haven’t. There is silence everywhere. We’re disappointed in the manner the school authority has kept mute over the incident. Since the abduction of my son, sleep has disappeared from my eyes. I’m sure the same is the condition of others parents, whose children were abducted. We’re supposed to be hearing from the school authorities on the latest development about our children, but the reverse is the case. My son was in the school custody when he was abducted. The state government should come to our aid. We’re dying silently, and we don’t know what our children are going through in the hands of these gunmen.”

Another parent, who also did not want his name mentioned, said: “It’s obvious the school authorities doesn’t appreciate our pain. They don’t care about our children. Our children were kidnapped, while under their care since Thursday, yet we haven’t heard anything concrete from them. We’re not happy! We want the world to hear our cries. The kidnappers should please release our children for us. We are begging them.”