Facts have emerged that the parents of the three students of Babington Junior Seminary School, Ikorodu, Lagos, who were abducted on February 25, 2016, paid N5.6m ransom to the kidnappers.
The father of one of the victims, Venerable Olusa Ayo, revealed in his statement to the police, that the kidnappers initially demanded N200m for the release of the girls.
He said the abductors, however, after agreeing to collect N15m, made him merry-go-round to ensure he was not being followed by security agents.
He said, “On the morning of March 1, at about 11am, I received a call through which my daughter informed me about the abduction. She said three students, including herself were abducted at gunpoint in the midst of sporadic shooting. She further advised me to contact the school authorities.
Facts have emerged that the parents of the three students of Babington Junior Seminary School, Ikorodu, Lagos, who were abducted on February 25, 2016, paid N5.6m ransom to the kidnappers.
The father of one of the victims, Venerable Olusa Ayo, revealed in his statement to the police, that the kidnappers initially demanded N200m for the release of the girls.
He said the abductors, however, after agreeing to collect N15m, made him merry-go-round to ensure he was not being followed by security agents.
He said, “On the morning of March 1, at about 11am, I received a call through which my daughter informed me about the abduction. She said three students, including herself were abducted at gunpoint in the midst of sporadic shooting. She further advised me to contact the school authorities.
Osogbo—Students of Osun State government-owned tertiary institutions, yesterday for over an hour, prevented the deputy governor, Mrs. Grace Laoye-Tomori from entering the Abeere Government Secretariat while protesting the continued closure of their campuses.
Aregbesola – osun debate
The students, mainly from the four tertiary institutions, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun state College of Education, Ila and Ilesa, participated in the protest which lasted several hours.
The students demanded immediate re-opening of their schools shut nine months ago.
The students had, as early as 9.00 am, converged on the popular Olaiya junction and held up traffic for about an hour before moving to the state secretariat.
During the protest, the students blocked all roads leading to the secretariat and insisted that their campuses be immediately reopened.
Attempt by the permanent secretary of the state Ministry of Education Mr. Lawerence Oyeniran, to pacify the students failed as he was booed and later whiskered away by the police and men of the Directorate of State Services.
Leaders of the protesting students, Mr Adekunle Animasahun and Lukman Adekitan said their demands include immediate re-opening of their institutions, improvement of infrastructures in their institutions, recruitment of more lecturers and payment of salary arrears to workers.
The deputy Governor, Mrs Laoye Tomori, who was returning from vacation later arrived the scene and attempted to enter the Government Secretariat, but was prevented by the protesters.
The students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, arm of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have frowned at the state of education in the country, and vowed to fight any hike in tuition fees.
APC National Chairman, Odigie Oyegun
In a statement issued, Friday, the students said they plan to mobilise over 47 million students to ensure maximum youth’s participation beyond next year’s elections.
“Our attention has been drawn (to) plans by the federal government to increase tuition across all federal institutions, we will resist any attempt to make education unaffordable to the masses,” said the statement signed by Emmanuel Damilare, Interim Publicity Secretary, APC-Campus Connect at the university.
The students expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing distribution of Permanent Voter’s Cards, PVCs, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, describing it as a strategy to disenfranchise the populace.
“It could be recalled that the PVCs distribution has been postponed in nine local government areas in Lagos from November 7-9 according to a press statement released by Adekunle Ogunmola, the resident electoral commissioner of INEC in Lagos State who claimed that they had to cancel the distribution in those areas because they are yet to take delivery of their PVCs,” said Mr. Damilare.
“In Rivers State, the distribution of PVCs was also postponed in seven local government areas, though no specific reasons was given but we foresaw the same technical manoeuvre by the commission.
The students called on Attahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman, to resign if he is incapable discharging his duties at the commission.
“We can’t imagine if this are roadmaps to 2015, but we are prepared to resist any forces that propagates peaceful, free and fair election, as we will just not vote but protect our votes,” said Mr. Damilare.
The students blamed the insecurity in the country’s North-East on the indifference of President Goodluck Jonathan.
They also condemned the withdrawal of the police officers attached to Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“As students of history, we clearly know that all arms of government (has) their functions and it wouldn’t be fair on democracy if we can’t distinguish between the military era and the former, the misuse of power on the instruction of the Presidency… Of what business does the police have to interpret the law?
“At the alarming state of the nation marred by insecurity, the main reason of withdrawing the security operative attached to the number four citizen of the federal republic of Nigeria is to expose him to risk which outcome can be dangerous, we will definitely hold the IG (Inspector General) for any risk on the Speaker at the House of Representatives.”
CALABAR- THREE Students of the University of Calabar were on Wednesday evening shot by stray bullets discharged from the riffle of a security officer of the university.
The shooting happened following an inconclusive Student Union Government election contested by four candidates: Emmanuel Akobi, Ajang Emmanuel, Ilefa Austin and Afo Nelson.
According a student who functioned as observer in the election, Ekere Sylvanus, a year three political Science Student, trouble started when some of the students who registered to vote but could not find their names in the electoral register were not allowed to vote. “Some students who registered during the registration exercise could not find their names on the Voters Register and the Electoral Officer who was assigned to conduct the election by the Vice Chancellor asked them to wait in a queue and the number rose to about three hundred and when it was 3pm when the election was scheduled to end, the Electoral Officer said the election had ended prompting those students to insist they should be allowed to vote”.
The father of one of the victims, Venerable Olusa Ayo, revealed in his statement to the police, that the kidnappers initially demanded N200m for the release of the girls.
