NIGERIAN-TURKISH SCHOOL KIDNAP: we were fed with rice, noodles, sometimes tea — rescued student

(ERIC GOSSIP) – One of the abducted students of the
 Nigerian TURKISH International College, NTIC, Ogun
 State released on  Tuesday evening,(names withheld) yesterday gave an account of how she was abducted,
 adding that they were not maltreated while in their 
captors den.

According to her, “They fed us with rice, noodles and
sometimes tea. They did not maltreat us. At a point, I 
lost count of how many days we have stayed in the
 hide out.’’

Asides, the victims dropping eyelids suggestive of one
deprived of good sleep, the freed five students and three
members of staff of the school,did not look ruffled as
anticipated, following their long stay in the abductors’ den.

The visibly exhilarated students and staff were 
accompanied by some security agents, management 
staff of the school and their parents to the waiting 
embrace of governor Ibikunle Amosun, in his Oke-
Mosan office, Abeokuta, a day after they were freed.

Speaking to ERIC GOSSIP on strict condition of anonymity, 
shortly after the visit to the governor, one of the 
students revealed that her cry for help gave her away ,
 when the gunmen struck. 

      Freed at last: The released kidnapped students of Nigerian
            Turkish International College, Isheri, during their visit to
      Governor Ibikunle Amosun at the Govt House, Oke-Mosan,
                               Abeokuta, yesterday.


How I was abducted

According to the Junior Secondary School student; “I
 was in my room when I heard a disturbing sound at 
the veranda. I was tempted to go and see what was happening but was restrained by instinct.

”My room mate, who went, screamed and I knew there 
was trouble. She rushed back into the room with a man following her. From where I hid, I saw the stranger holding 
her by the wrist with a stern warning for her not to cause 
any trouble.

She started shouting my name, telling me to go and hide.

”From where I hid, I was shouting Mummy! Mummy!. I
 believe the stranger heard my voice, as he came close,
 found me and quietly asked me to come out. I begged 
him not to harm me and he promised he wouldn’t.

”They led us out of the school compound, through the
 bush path, where I saw some other persons. I did not
 know who they were because the place was dark. It was
 later I discovered they were my teachers and school 
mates.

”I can not tell the exact time we spent getting to their destination but it took over two hours. At a point,
 I slept off, thinking I was dead. By the time I woke up, 
it was still dark,” inside me i was praying for God to help us. 

”Yesterday (Tuesday), one of them came and said they should take us away. Again, I fell asleep only to wake up
 on reaching where they dropped us.”

At this point, she was interrupted by her father who claimed she had spoken enough.

Effort to speak with others failed as they were shielded
 from answering questions.


Gov Amosun’s ordeal

Earlier, Governor Ibikunle Amosun in his office yesterday revealed what he faced during the waiting
 period, saying that he could not rest until the victims
 were released.

While receiving the freed victims, Amosun noted that their release which coincided with his 59th birthday 
made his day.

Narrating his ordeal while the victims were still in the kidnappers den, Amosun said; “When the incident happened I was not in the state, I travelled. But the 
Deputy Governor and the Secretary to the State 
Government visited the school .

“When the President called me, I assured him that they 
would be released on Monday. But when they were not released on Monday, he called again on Tuesday and
 asked what was happening and I told him that we were 
close to securing their release, as I was informed that the victims would be released in 24 hours.

“I was there during one of the sessions when the security operatives were discussing with the kidnappers through a tracking device. I just refrained from talking 
to them .

”They (operatives) had tracked them (kidnappers) to their hideout where they kept the students and workers
 but the security operatives did not want to storm the place because of the safety of the victims.

“I want to assure the kidnappers that they will pay dearly for this because this is Ogun State, where we don’t allow criminals to operate. Ogun State will not be a comfort zone 
for them to operate. Anybody who wants to do business 
with a good intention is welcome but we will not indulge anyone who intends to give us a bad name.’’


How they were released

Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Police Command, Mr Ahmed Illyasu, on his part, explained that a cutting edge technology and high profile mechanism were involved
 in the rescue of the victims.

He said “the deployment of a technically-driven team of
intelligence response system of the Inspector General of Police yesterday, forced the miscreants to submit , thereby leading to the rescue of the victims. Also, some high profile suspects were arrested. The operation is on a large scale
 and it is still ongoing. Definitely, this is not the end of the operation.


School MD’s account

In his remarks, Managing Director, Turkish school, Mr Orban Kertim expressed gratitude to President 
Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Amosun, the Inspector 
General of Police, as well as Director General of State
 Security Service and the Military for their efforts and
 support towards the release of the abducted persons.

Describing the period of wait as a difficult one for all, he said:

“The 11 days of waiting were sleepless nights. But there were hopes as prayers were rendered. I also want to use
 this medium to state that during that period, concerned parents showed tremendous solidarity and thereafter ,alhamdulillah , we have passed all these bad things.”


Victims’ parents too

Speaking on behalf of the concerned parents, Deputy Manager Director of The Sun Newspaper, Mr Steve
 Nwosu, expressed gratitude to security agents who 
put in efforts in the release of the students and staff.

He said: “Yes, even if anybody has any misgivings, the important thing is the result and we are very happy. 

The governor, we must thank you for everything you did,
 we got to know indirectly, we knew what was happening.

 As a media person, I understand one or two things that 
was happening.

“ On behalf of the parents and the children, we want to say a big thank you to everybody that participated in bringing 
back these children and we say may none of you experience what we experienced.”


Suspect arrested

One of the suspected kidnappers who confessed to have taken part in the abduction of the students and staff was arrested yesterday at Ikorodu area of Lagos State, after leaving the creeks.

The suspect, whose identify was given simply as Bekewei, was reportedly trailed by operatives of the
 Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, to Ikorodu area of Lagos, few hours after he
 came out of the creeks to spend his share of the loot.

Cash of N1.2 million, suspected to part of his share of
 the ransom paid for the release of the students and staff 
was allegedly recovered from him.

Police sources hinted that some policemen were deployed
 to the shorelines of the creeks across Ikorodu, Epe, Arepo, IBADAN and Shagamu areas of Lagos and Ogun states
 to monitoring movements of persons in and out of those places.

The effort paid off few hours after the girls were released,
 as Bekewei, was spotted and subsequently apprehended.

During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to have
 taken part in the kidnap of the NTIC students and 
staff, adding that he got N2 million as his share of the 
ransom paid for their release.

Bekewei, as gathered, confessed that out of his share, he
 sent N800,000 to an undisclosed person in his home
 town, Arogbo, Ondo State, adding that he also gave
 N50,000 each to two of his girlfriends in Lagos before he 
was arrested.

Police not aware of ransom

Commenting on the release of the abducted victims, 
Assistance Inspector General of Police, Kayode Aderanti 
said; “ I am not aware if ransom was paid. Police is not involved in ransom . I only read it in the papers .

 One thing we know is that they have been rescued and reunited with their parents. They were examined yesterday(Tuesday), Although they are traumatise
they were otherwise okay.