The Ogun State Police Command on Tuesday said it will not any ransom payment for eight victims abducted by suspected kidnappers at the Nigerian-Turkish International College, Isheri area of Ogun State.
This was disclosed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in an interview with newsmen in Abeokuta.
Oyeyemi said the police are not party to any discussion on ransom based on the said demand from the kidnappers.
It was gathered that the abductors of five female students, a cook, a mathematics teacher of Turkish school and a house mistress, last Friday night, within the school premises, had demanded payment of N1.2 billion from the families of the abductees.
Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said payment of ransom to the criminals would further encourage them to perpetuate the crime and see it as a viable business.
He said, “The police will not be party to any discussion on ransom. We don’t encourage anybody to pay ransom to any kidnapper. If you pay such money, you are encouraging them. When they demand for ransom and you don’t pay them, they will no longer see it as a business that is viable. We have been giving the mandate to rescue them unhurt and to bring the perpetrators to book. We are working assiduously to achieve this.
“I will advise that there shouldn’t be anything like negotiation of how much to be paid to the kidnappers. We are not party to that and we will not encourage it.”
He described the situation as unfortunate and assured that the command in collaboration with other sister agencies are working hand in hand to make sure that the victims were rescued unhurt.
“We have been on it since the very day when the incident happened. The police commissioner was there for on the spot assessment. AIG, Zone 2, Kayode Aderanti was there likewise the Brigadier General, Alamala Barracks and operatives of DSS were equally there to know the situation of things.
“Since then, we have been working in synergy with other sister agencies to rescue the innocent victims unhurt. You can imagine the trauma these people will be passing through, particularly the underaged students. I think the oldest among the students is seventeen years old. We are not leaving any stone to make sure that they are rescued. The hoodlums will be brought to book. We are very much sure of that,” the PPRO added.
Oyeyemi urged school proprietors to put adequate security system in place to ward off the activities of the hoodlums, most especially schools with boarding facilities.
The PPRO further advised that schools should engaged the services of able-bodied security men in keeping the school safe against any invasion from any quarters, saying securing a better society remains a duty of all Nigerians.
He further added, “Security is everybody’s business. It’s not something that we should leave in the hands of the police or the security agencies alone. At the beginning of the term, I mentioned on radio and television programmes that school proprietors and management should put a lot of security arrangements in place.
“We should ensure that the lives of pupils are not in danger. The school must be properly fenced. On top of the fence, there should be barb wire. If need be, the barb wires should be electrified, especially schools with boarding facilities. This will protect the school from invasion.
“There should be local security men within the school. School proprietors shouldn’t employ the services of aged men to do the job of securing the schools.Agile and able bodied men should be hired by schools to see to the day to day of keeping the schools safe.”
