22 days in the kidnappers’ den: When will Epe students return home?

Olalekan Olabulo examines the second coming of militants to Lagos State Government College, Igbonla Epe and the agony of the parents. 

For the second time in less than a year, students, teachers and parents of students of the Lagos State Model Government College, Igbonla Epe, were once again on Thursday, May 25, thrown into panic and confusion as gunmen, suspected to be militants, stormed the school and abducted six students. The number of kidnapped students would have been more but the abductors selected those whose parents could afford a ransom.

The latest attack on the Igbonla government school has, however, turned to be a different one as the students have remained in captive for longer than the first incident. There appears to be more agonising moments for the parents of the abducted students.

The gunmen had on the day of the incident killed a poultry farmer, who raised the alarm about their presence in the area. The abductors had reportedly, prior to the last invasion, written a letter to the school that they were coming, prompting the school to invite security personnel, which included soldiers and policemen, to guard the school’s vicinity.

True to their threat, the gunmen invaded the school a day before the eventual abduction of the students. They were however repelled by the security forces on ground. A gang of more than eight heavily-armed gunmen and a lady had reportedly early on Thursday May 25, invaded the school through the creek at the back of the school. The abductors came through the Imeru – Oji waterway and broke the fence at the bushy section of the school. They headed straight to the male hostel where 10 students were initially abducted.

With confidence, the kidnappers reportedly quickly interrogated the ten students on their parents, background and the parents’ profession. This they did in order to ascertain which of the parents could afford whatever ransom that would be demanded.

Four of the students were released while six others, namely Isiaq Rahmon, Adebayo George, Judah Agbausi, Farouk Yusuff, Pelumi Phillips and Peter Jonah, were taken away by the gun – wielding men who later got in contact with one of the parents of the students.

One of the students who were in the hostel when the abductors stormed the school, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune under the condition of anonymity, said “when we were at the prep, we heard gunshots. We were all afraid but our teachers told us not to worry, that security men were around. We did not know what was happening at that time.”

The student added that “Again we heard gunshots. But later, some of them came to the hostel and broke the door. They told us not to run away and that all of us should lie on the floor. They took many people out but four later came back. They released them after they asked them about their parents.”

From the beginning, it was not rosy for the parents as they had to wait till after two days before they were contacted by the abductors. The contact was still not what the parents were expecting. The abductors had called one of them and told them to pay N400 million, before the students would be released. The abductors also told each of the parents to pay N100 million naira each for the six abducted students.

At this point, the parents expected the police and the government to take over negotiation with the abductors with the hope that their children would be released in the next few days. This is, however, not the case as the students have remained with the abductors, longer than the parents ever imagined.

About a week after the abduction, the parents accused the government and the school management of showing apathy to their plight. It was very evident that the parents were expecting daily update from the school and the government   in the state but none was forthcoming for a week after the students were abducted.

The anger of the parents reached its peak during a meeting with the school authorities after the students had been taken away. The parents expressed their anger for what they described as lack of efforts from them. One of the parents, who pleaded anonymity, said “Imagine. They called us for a meeting and we were there waiting for them for more than three hours. They invited us to their school and we had to wait for them.”

Policemen from the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team tracked three members of the gang which allegedly abducted the children to Benin in Edo State where three of them were arrested. That, however, did not prompt other members of the gang to release the children.

During the first meeting with the school authorities, two of the parents become ill and had to be taken to the meeting from the hospital. The students also had their share of the agony. Four of them were reported ill some days ago.

One of the parents, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune under the condition of anonymity, said “what the kidnappers are asking from us is by far too much. One of us offered one million naira the other day; they rejected it. Many of us cannot even afford one million naira let alone more than that.”

Another parent while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune said “Almost all the parents in the school are not happy with the school authorities and the government. Last year, when the first one happened, they assured us that the security would be improved around the school. They also told us that they would install Close Circuit TV monitors around the school.”

She also said that “they did not do that until those people came again. Our minds are not at rest. We don’t know who is next. We feel very sad. We know what the parents of the abducted students are going through. The government should find a way of ensuring a lasting solution to ensure the safety of the children.”

The parent also said “Initially, they said N400 million Later they reduced it to N100 million. They also said that they would allow our kids to be swapped with the arrested members of their gang. Now they are asking for money again. There was a time that they told us that they were angry with the government. These same people want the government to negotiate with them.”

For more than one week now, the abductors have reportedly been playing hard to get with the parents of the abducted children. They have avoided them like a plague. Before then, they had continued to threaten the parents with a deadline for the payment of the ransom.

Meanwhile, the state government has begun efforts to fortify the school with the construction of a watchtower in the school while improved security personnel presence has also been directed.