Family of kidnapped students in Epe begs to swap relatives for ailing student

Family members of one of the ailing students that was abducted by suspected militants last Thursday, at the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, in Eredo Local Council Development Area of Epe, have appealed to the abductors to release their relative for treatment, saying they were ready to swap another family member for the sick captive.

The family said it had managed to raise N1 million, which was contributed by relatives and friends. A strange call, suspected to be from the kidnappers, was received at 1.35p.m. yesterday, but the person at the other end was said to be silent. A relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said:

“My sister received a call. But the person refused to talk. Even at that, she begged the unknown caller to release our relative. “She told them that we have been able to raise N1 million and are ready to swap any of us with the ailing relative.

Another call also came at 6.15p.m., where the caller warned that their patience was being over-stretched, following the delay in payment of ransom. … as students return to school.

Meanwhile, some students, whose parents hurriedly took home in a panic last Thursday, returned to the school yesterday. Most of those sighted were Junior Secondary School 1 students, who were resuming for the new term.

Security operatives in the school include officers of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, and two neighbourhood watch vans that drove in at 11a.m., to take over from their colleagues that had been on the ground. A female member of staff, who spoke to Vanguard, said:

“You can’t abandon your home because something bad happened. All you need do is to beef up security. “This is our home and these are our children too. Not to carry on with activities is to put tension in the children.”

[Vanguard]