Lagos students Kidnap: The untold story of how the boy regained freedom

FRESH disclosures were revealed on Saturday on how the six Lagos students kidnapped by the gunmen from their Igbonla Model College in the Epe area of Lagos state, regained their freedom on Friday, after spending 64 days with their abductors.

A security source who was involved in the moves that led to the release of the six boys told Tribune Online how the Ondo state deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, risked his life to ensure that the six boys were released to the officials of the Ondo state government unhurt.

According to the top security official, a repentant militant contacted the state government on the willingness of the kidnappers who were mainly militants from Ondo state to release the six boys to the state government without collecting any ransom

He said the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, immediately mandated his Deputy, who hailed from the area to ensure the release of the kidnapped school boys.

He however said it took the deputy governor about ten days of negotiations with the militants before the abductees were eventually released to the state governor and an official of the state government.

He said Agboola had to enter into negotiations with the men of naval base and the marine police to vacate the waterways which was heavily secured to allow the militants free movement from Lagos to Ondo state.

Part of the terms reached with Agboola Ajayi was that the militants demanded for amnesty from the federal government, with a promise to lay down their arms to ensure peace, safety of lives and properties on the waterways.

He said ” the heavy presence of the security men on the waterways from the Ise river in Lagos to Agerige in Ese Odo local government area in Ondo state almost thwarted the rescue mission but the militants live up to their words after they were able to gain entry to Ondo state region.”

He said the deputy governor and the other officials were on the waterways for over nine hours in down pour, waiting for instructions from the boys’ abductors before the militants who were about 40 took the team to an inner part of the creek.

According to the security official, the Ondo state deputy governor risked his life by ordering his security personnel to stay at Igbokoda while the Commander of the Naval Base was furiously against the deadly move.

“The militants have threatened bloodshed if they sight any security operatives with the deputy governor, threatening to kill all the boys. It took would have been more suicidal for the militants to abduct the armless Agboola and his team who were without any security details and would have been the first deputy governor to be abducted.

“But with the assurance from Agboola that the militants will live up to their promise, we embarked on the rescue mission. He was soaked with rain because we stayed in the rain for almost eight hours waiting for the militants to show up”

He said the militants showed their readiness to release the boys when they asked us to buy food for the boys. They were friendly with the boys from their interaction while the boys waved to them after their release.

The security source said the only deal the militants who spoke in Pidgin English all through the negotiations, demanded is for the state government to plead with the president to grant them amnesty

Speaking about his interaction with the release boys, he explained that the boys disclosed that a leader was chosen among them who was named “General Saka” and coordinated and controlled the activities of his mate others in the kidnappers den.

According to the security officer, “the boys told us they eat Eba for weeks before the boys revolted that their abductors should introduce other food which was granted.

“They also said told us that they were not maltreated except once when they had to make their parents believe they were in danger. One of them disclosed that the militants do go on hunting expedition to feed them with Bush meat”

He said no ransom was paid at the end of it all.