The parents of five abducted students from the Apostolic Faith Group of Schools in Emure, Ekiti, have shared their difficult journey to secure the release of their children.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of N15 million, as well as additional items such as fried rice, energy drinks, and cigarettes.
The school owner, Gabriel Adesanya, confirmed that the driver who was kidnapped alongside the students and staff members was killed, and his body has not yet been found.
Adesanya also mentioned that negotiations with the kidnappers resulted in the ransom being reduced from N100 million to N15 million.
The kidnappers released the victims after receiving the N15 million and the specified food and drinks, instructing the parents to leave immediately.
Adebisi Jegede, one of the parents of the kidnapped students, confirmed that a ransom was indeed paid to the kidnappers when contacted by Punch.
He said, “A ransom was paid to the kidnappers, and the money raised was around the N15 million they demanded. I was not the one that counted the money, but it was around that amount.”
Relatives of the victims have reported that the kidnappers, who initially asked for N100 million, eventually lowered their demand to N15 million after negotiations.
According to a man whose wife and son were among those kidnapped, the ransom of N15 million, along with other items, was given to the kidnappers in a vast forest before the abducted individuals were released.
The man who spoke anonymously for fear of being abducted said, “Nine persons were kidnapped. But eight persons were released; we didn’t see the ninth person. The kidnapped persons told us after their release that the gunmen shot the driver dead.
“It gave us a lot of problems to see the kidnappers. When we first entered the forest, we spent about two hours without seeing them. We had to go forth and back before we saw the kidnappers.
“When we eventually saw them, they took us into the bush far away from where we parked the motorcycle that we took there. We gave them what they demanded, and they released the kidnapped persons to us.
“We gave them N15 million, and the food items they asked us to buy for them – eight packs of fried rice with chicken and drinks – can malt drink, fearless energy drink, bullet energy drink and cigarettes. As they collected the money and the items, they said we should run off.”
