*Kidnappers: No going back on ransom demand
The Lagos State Police Command, working in synergy
with the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT),
has arrested three of militant kidnappers behind the abduction of six students
from Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe.
According to security sources, the three men were
grabbed on Tuesday around 4pm by IRT men, who joined in the hunt for the
kidnappers on the order of the IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris.
The suspects have been identified as Egelu Endurance
25, aka Jubby, a native of Abere town in Ovia South Local Government Area, Edo
State, Stanley Yomi Irabomini, 25, aka Powei, from Ovia South Local Government Area
of Edo State and Bentel Endurance 24, also from Ovia South Local Government Area,
Edo State.
The operatives swooped on the suspects just as they
were stepping out from a creek in Benin.
The suspects confessed to have moved down to Benin
to check on their colleagues, who sustained bullets wounds.
On Thursday, militant kidnappers infiltrated Lagos
State Model College, Igbonla, Epe and abducted six students.
Some of the militants on Friday, dressed in
camouflage, with red bands tied around their foreheads, engaged the Marine
Police in a protracted gun battle. The gun duel witnessed injury of many of the
militants. Apparently, some of the wounded were taken to Benin for treatment.
A police source said: “Suspects confessed to
have participated in various kidnappings of prominent personalities in Lagos
and Ogun states, including the abduction of Oniba of Iba, Turkish School kidnapping,
Isheri Landlord kidnapping and the current EPe school children kidnapping. The
suspects claimed to have gone to Benin to see their injured colleague and relax
for a while before going back to the creek.”
Another source said that serious efforts are on to
arrest other gang members and rescue the school children unhurt. The source
added: “The police are seriously making progress in the rescue mission.”
Meanwhile, one of the parents of the abducted kids
told our correspondent yesterday that the kidnappers called him on Tuesday
around 8pm, telling him to go and quickly raise the N100m ransom, so that they
could free his kid.
According to him, even before he could start
pleading with them, explaining his financial situation, they snarled: “We’re
not going back on the N100m ransom we demanded.”
The distraught man, who didn’t want his name
mentioned, said: “I actually tried to negotiate with them, begging them to
reduce the ransom, but they cut off the line. My wife, who was beside me,
listening to our conversion, broke down and started weeping. At that point, I
became weak myself.”
The man added: “This morning (Wednesday), I called
the senior vice principal of the school and related what the kidnappers told me.
Unfortunately, he told me that there was nothing he could do. He said he was
just as employer, under Lagos State Government. At this point, my family and I
are confused; we don’t know what to do anymore or where to run to for
help. It’s very sad that almost a week
now that the innocent children were kidnapped in their school, they are yet to
be rescued. The state government should come to our aid, because we cannot
afford the money the kidnappers are demanding.”
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