Caption: Executive Director, Divine International Academy, Folakolade Adetayo
Kevwe Ebireri, Abuja
The Nigeria Police says it has recovered a school bus belonging to the Divine International Academy School in Phase IV Nyanya, which was snatched Tuesday morning by gunmen within the premises of the School.
Police spokesman, Frank Mba, a chief superintendent, said a report was registered by the the driver of the bus, Abu Sunday, at about 8:38 am to the effect that some armed men had snatched a white Toyota Hiace bus,, with registration number XG 246 GWA and the inscription Divine International academy on the sides.
”As soon as the report got to us we mobilized our response team immediately to the crime scene and other exit points. We tried to carry out a preliminary investigation, while being concerned about the safety of the children; but the good news is that the preliminary investigation by the Police as strongly supported by the authorities confirms the fact that none of the school children was taken away,” he said.
Mba added that the school bus was recovered in Nassarawa state.
Narrating how the bus was snatched, Sunday said, “This Morning at about 8:00am, I took the school vehicle out to pick the School children; after picking the kids I dropped the vehicle within the School compound. In the process of washing the vehicle I saw three guys with arms. The first guy held me demanding that I drop the vehicle keys and that any argument will force him to shoot. I complied and they zoomed off with the vehicle, but no child was in the vehicle. They held a pistol and an AK47”.
Executive director of the academy, Folakolade Adetayo, said she got a call from the driver of the bus in the morning informing her that the bus had been snatched at gun point by gunmen who stormed the premises.
“What came to my mind was the safety of the children. I asked him to alert the Police and they immediately swung into action. No child was kidnapped as speculated; all the Kids that came to school today have all gone back home. All the Kids are safe; it is only the vehicle that was taken away,” she said.