Admin l Wednesday, June 06, 2017
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspects following kidnap of six students from Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe.
Three men were grabbed on Tuesday around 4pm by the IG’s Special Intelligent Team (IRT) on the IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris.
The suspects, according to police 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.”
