GUNMEN have abducted six pupils and three teachers of a private school in Emure, headquarters of Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
Confirming the abduction on Tuesday, January 30, the Ekiti State Government said the school bus driver was also kidnapped, bringing the total to 10.
A statement by the government quoted the state Governor Biodun Oyebanji as describing the kidnap as callous and unacceptable.
He vowed that his government would deploy everything at its disposal to rescue the victims.
He also said the security agencies in the state were already on the trail of the abductors with a mandate to bring the pupils and their teachers back safely.
Oyebanji also called on the state residents to remain calm and be vigilant.
Although the state government didn’t disclose the name of the school, a post by a popular local blog that tweets majorly about Ekiti state, Ekititrend on X, indicated that the victims were from Apostolic Faith School, Ekiti.
The incident happened the same day armed men shot dead two traditional rulers in the Oke-Ako axis of Ikole local government area of the state.
The ICIR reports that the rulers were said to have been attacked along Oke Ako – Ipao Ekiti – Aiyedun road on Monday evening, January 29, while coming from a meeting.
The two traditional rulers- the Onimojo of Imojo Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Samuel Olusola and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsola were killed in an ambush by armed men while the traditional ruler, the Alara of Ara –Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba escaped the attack.
Reacting to the killing in a separate statement on Tuesday, the state governor said security agents had been dispatched to the area to fish out the perpetrators.
The governor said no stone would be left unturned in the bid to bring the perpetrators to justice, charging the security agencies in the state to remain vigilant and resolute in the efforts to stamp out crime and criminality from the state.
CSO urges Tinubu to declare state of emergency
Meanwhile, the civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s insecurity.
Expressing concerns over worsening wave of insecurity across the country, the group advised the Federal Government to further recommit to tackling the menace.
The CSOs, under the auspices of Civil Society Joint Action Group, stated this during a world press briefing on Monday, January 29, in the Federal Capital City, Abuja.
The ICIR reports that Nigeria has continued to grapple with cases of insecurity, with many citizens reported dead and over 380 persons kidnapped between December 1, 2023, and January 3, 2024, across the country under President Bola Tinubu.
With the recent cases of kidnapping and ethno-communal clashes in Plateau state, the country has been further plunged into crisis, leading many Nigerians and stakeholders to question the competence of the competence of the Tinubu-led Federal Government.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M