Kidnappers of Turkish School Students & Staff Reject N7.2m Ransom

Kidnappers of Nigerian Turkish International Colleges (NTIC), Ogun State have rejected a N7.25 million ransom parents raised.

Armed men had on January 13, stormed the school premises at about 9.30PM and held hostage three female supervisors, a female cook, a female teacher (Turkish), three students, and two others that were in the school for coaching for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The school said that its security noticed some movement on the CCTV camera at the girls’ section and promptly deployed security personnel and alerted the relevant security agencies in the area.

The management added that the armed invaders opened fire on the security staff and managed to escape with the hostages.

The kidnappers had earlier demanded N100 million for each of the students, and N300 million each for the Turkish nationals.

After the kidnap, parents withdrew their children from the school, and it was shut down.

Reports say the kidnappers had reduced the amount earlier this week, but the parents still couldn’t afford it.

“The parents met yesterday at Ikeja. They were able to gather N7.250m. They got in touch with the kidnappers, but the men said the money was too small. They asked them to go and add more to the money, if they wanted their kids to be released,” a source told New Telegraph.

The Inspector- General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has arrested two suspects – Philip Joel Kakadu (aka General Kakadu), 29, a native of Egbema Kingdom, Warri North Local Government Area and Romeo Council, 40, (aka Raw).

Kakadu confessed to the police that the abduction was, a ‘Joint Operation,’ among three different gangs of kidnappers.

He told police that he contributed five men and planned the abduction, but didn’t go with them.

Kakadu was arrested after four years on Police Wanted List for bank robbery, pipeline vandalism and kidnapping.

He was the unseen face, but known name in police circles, behind the popular Agbara, Festac, Lekki and Ikorodu bank robberies.

Kakadu and his men were known for blowing up banks’ doors and vaults with dynamite. It was, however, based on his confessions, that the IRT operatives have spread into states in South-South and South-West.

The report stated that more than 16 suspects, had been arrested earlier, including women, but thorough investigations by the IRT operatives, whittled down the number.

Presently, five confirmed suspects, including a lady, are among the suspects in police custody.