I have no 400m ransome, fisherman cries out to Ambode

Lagos State Model College, Epe.

A parent of one of the six pupils that were abducted at Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe, has cried out to the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to come to their aid. The parent, who pleaded anonymity, said he was a farmer and could not raise N400 million the kidnappers asked him to pay to secure the freedom of his son.Although it was learnt that the kidnappers had said that they did not have anything to do with the parents. According to sources, the abductors said they wanted the state government to negotiate and pay the ransom said to be about N1.2 billion.

But the parent, who spoke with our correspondent yesterday after a meeting with the school authorities, said there was no way he could raise N400 million. He said: “What baffles me most was that when they called me on the phone that fateful day, what struck my mind was where and how could I get the money they are demanding as a fisherman? Even if I fish for 20 years, I would not be able to raise the money.

“Immediately we the parents received the phone calls from the kidnappers, we decided to have an emergency meeting with the school management today (yesterday) on the school premises to facilitate our children’s release. “We all converge on the school premises to hold the meeting, on the modalities on how to rescue our children from the kidnappers’ den.

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The senior vice principal and junior vice principal of the school both participated in the meeting. “Unfortunately, when we table our challenges about the plight of our children and what the kidnappers told us that they don’t want to have anything to do with us the parents, except the state government, the school management said they were also handicapped on the situation of things as they too cannot afford the money demanded by the abductors.” 

The parents said they were told to wait for an official of the Ministry of Education coming from Epe to the school to reach an agreement.

He added: “But as it is now, we don’t know what our children are going through. We want action from the state government to rescue them. “The parents, who were admitted at the hospital over the abduction of their children, were accompanied to the meeting by some of their family members. Just to tell you the trauma some of us are going through as parents. We want quick action from the state government and the police to bring them back.”

Many parents and teachers in Lagos have expressed regret over what they described as the poor response of the security agencies, particularly the police, to the insecurity challenges facing schools in the state.

They also accused government of treating with kid gloves the threat posed by the incessant abduction of pupils and teachers, describing the response of the security operatives in the state to the menace as un-proactive.