The Ekiti State Police Command has denied the rumours making the rounds that pupils of Apostolic Faith Nursery and Primary School in Emure Ekiti, who were kidnapped on Monday by armed Fulani herdsmen, have been released.
The spokesperson of the command, Sunday Abutu made this known in a telephone interview with our correspondent.
The PPRO who did not give further details simply said,”it is not true.”
Reports had gone viral on Social media on Friday that the pupils have been released.
Punchmetero had published that six school children, three teachers and a bus driver were in Monday January 29, 2024 kidnapped in Emure Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The kidnappers had threatened to kill the victims should the parents fail to pay ransom on them as quickly as possible.
The families of the kidnapped disclosed that the abductors had reduced the ransom to N15m.
The incident was said to have occured in the evening while the school bus was conveying the children to Eporo-Ekiti.
It was gathered that the incident occured at the same time bandits attacked a vehicle conveying three traditional rulers between Oke-Ako and Ipao Ekiti, in Ajoni Local Government Area.
The gunmen were said to have ambushed the school bus at about 5 p.m.
The State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, had promised that the school pupils would be rescued unhurt.
He urged residents to remain calm as efforts were underway to rescue the victims.
The governor, who described the kidnapping of the pupils as callous and unacceptable, said nothing would be spared in the efforts to rescue them.
The governor, in a statement on Monday, said security agencies in the state were already on the trail of the abductors with a mandate to bring the pupils and their teachers back safely.
“Security is being stepped up across the state with a view to flushing out criminal elements from their hideouts,” Mr Oyebanji said.
To secure the release of six kidnapped schoolchildren, three teachers and their driver, Ondo State security outfit, codenamed, Amotekun, yesterday, deployed 100 of its personnel to Ekiti State.
Ondo Amotekun Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who said this while parading 31 suspected criminals arrested in the state, disclosed that Amotekun was acting on the orders of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
