•Ekiti pupil’s dad recounts

•Police, Amotekun begin manhunt

“Ihad the cry of my boy, as he was being beaten, when his abductors spoke to me on the telephone,” father of 13-year-old Ogoolami Jegede, said yesterday.

Mr. Adebisi Jegede sounded helpless when he spoke to our reporter in Ado-Ekiti on Monday’s abduction of his son and wife.

They are among the 10 people made up six pupils, three teachers and the driver of the bus conveying them from their school, Apostolic Faith Church Primary and Secondary School, Emure-Ekiti. They were kidnapped at Akeye, a village between Eporo and Emure.

Mr. Jegede expressed concern about the health of his wife Esther, 40, son, and others in the kidnappers’ den, having being in the tick forest without food and shelter for three days.

He said he was trumatised and tired because he has no means of raising N20 million demanded on his wife and son.

The abductors made N100 million demand on the 10 abducted people.

Jegede, also a teacher, said: “This is the darkest moment of my life. I’m really perplexed and confused. I do not know what to do because I have no one to help, except God. I have not received any penny even though people, including my church, have promised but we have not seen anything.

“What my wife and son are facing in the hands of the kidnappers is too much for them to bear. When they call on Tuesday around 2pm, I could hear the cries of my liitle Ogoolami and when they gave the phone to him and later my wife, I could imagine what the duo were facing through their voices.

“The kidnappers even threatened to kill them if I don’t bring the money. But I was just pleading”.

He added: “The present update as at this evening is that they requested for N10m for each of the victims. This morning, I expected that they would call, but they have not called up till this moment. We have been to Emure to see the king and the school authority this morning (yesterday). They told us to go and be looking for money. That’s is the update. No more progress.

“I’m appealing to the state government to come to our rescue because there is no how I can raise that kind of money. We are pleading that the federal and state governments should assist us to rescue them”.

Efforts by the people of Eporo, a rustic Ekiti town in Emure Local Government Area, to secure the release of abducted pupils, teachers and the driver began yesterday.

Residents launched a crowd funding to raise ransom for the abductees, whose kidnap on Monday sent the rural community into panic.

The incident occurred around 3:55pm on the same day two traditional rulers – Onimojo of Imojo, Oba Olusola Olatunji and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin – were killed by gunmen while returning from a meeting at Ogbe, a neighboring town in Yagbawest Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Founded in September, 2007, the Apostolic Faith Church Primary and Secondary School, Emure-Ekiti operates day and boarding systems, with hundreds of pupils.

The school has made Emure a centre for educational tourism because it has pupils from Kogi, Ondo, Kwara, Edo, Osun among other states.

When our reporter got to the school yesterday, it was under lock and key.

Former Chairman of Emure Local Government, Olubayode Okeye said over N470,000 had been raised by the community

He explained that the donation was at the behest of the head of the community, who pleaded with the people to support the families of the abductees.

Okeye said: “Through the efforts of the Baale and leaders in the community, we decided to call for emergency meeting this morning. We appealed to people to be dropping money and individuals started dropping the little they have. So far so good, we have been able to raised a little above N470,000.

“We would still continue the fundraising tomorrow. If the government can come to our aid, we would be happy. At least, we are making our efforts to see what we can do to raise reasonable amount of money”.

“Our appeal to the federal and state governments is to come to our aid and assist us. They should think about the small children. The government should think about their lives and what they are going through for the past 72hrs inside the thick forest in this cold weather”.

Our reporter who visited the community observed that the distance between the spot where the victims were kidnapped and the Divisional Police Station in the community is less than five minutes.

Some residents living along Eporo road where the students were kidnapped have been relocating to safer places within Emure for fear of the unknown.

The incident has also forced other private schools in Emure to shut down and parents have stormed the school to pick their children in the boarding house.

The school gateman said the community was enveloped in anxiety because the abductees have not been released.

He said: “The victims are still in the captivity. The kidnappers have been engaging the parents and families of the abductees as well as management of the school in discussion on ransom.”

The school Principal, Mr Alaba Owolabi, confirmed the ransom demand.

Police, Amotekun local hunters launch manhunt

The combined security operatives of the Police, Army, Amotekun Corps and local hunters have launched a manhunt for the kidnappers of the schoolchildren, according to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Brig Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana.

Ogundana said Governor Biodun Oyebanji had ordered the deployment of security agents to the forests within and beyond Emure with the mandate to rescue the victims unhurt and arrest the kidnappers.

He said: “We are trying as much as possible to get those children out and at the same time, we don’t want anyone of them to be hurt. And so, while we were on the trail of the criminals, at the same time, we are mindful of the lives of those children and their teachers. That is why we are being tactical about the whole issue”.

“We have already mobilised the security agents, including the Amotekun and local hunters. We are partnering with Ondo State because that place is closer to the Sunshine State. We would ensure the children are rescued unhurt.

When asked if the state government will be paying the N100m ransom to secure the release of the abductees, the special adviser, said “the state govt is not aware of any ransom demand.” (The Nation)

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