The kidnappers of five pupils and four staff members of the Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure Ekiti, have issued a new threat, warning that they will kill their victims if the parents fail to pay the reduced ransom of N15 million as quickly as possible.
The initial demand was N100 million, but after negotiations, the abductors lowered the ransom.
Families of the kidnapped victims disclosed the latest development, stating that the kidnappers insisted on the prompt payment of the reduced ransom, claiming that the abducted children were becoming weak.
The parents are now under pressure to raise the funds and secure the release of their loved ones.
The victims, consisting of schoolchildren and staff members, were abducted on the Emure-Ekiti — Iporo Ekiti road after closing hours. The gunmen attacked a bus conveying over 25 pupils of the Apostolic Faith Group of Schools.
In an interview with Punch on Thursday, Pastor Clement Adebisi, whose wife, Mary, was among the kidnapped staff members, said the kidnappers told them to get the money on time while revealing that the children were already getting weak.
He said his wife was on the bus with his three children, but the kidnappers took the woman away and left the children.
Adebisi stated, “We just spoke with them two hours ago, and they concluded that we should pay N15 million. They told us that the children were already getting weak and we should find the money on time and come and take them out of their place.
“One of my children who tried to follow her mother was beaten and thrown into the bush. It was the eldest sister that went to carry her. She even fainted twice when they got home.”
Another parent, Adebisi Jegede, whose wife, Esther, and daughter, Ogoolami, are among the victims, said the abductors threatened to kill their victims.
He said, “My wife is a teacher, and I was the first person they called, and that was the second day around 2 pm. When they first called me, they said we should bring N10m each to secure their release.
‘’When they called me the second time, they started to beat my wife and the children and kept asking for money. They threatened to kill them if we did not pay the money.”
