Parents of the six Senior Secondary School students who were abducted two weeks ago at Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe, have accused government of being insensitive to their plights.
Some of them actually accused the state government of treating the matter with kids gloves, adding that it had abandoned them to their fate.
One of the parents who spoke with newsmen on the condition of anonymity said: “ Today (yesterday) is the 12th day that my son was abducted and government seems not to be concerned. All it does is to keep assuring us that modalities were being worked out on how to rescue them. How long shall we continue to wait? What crime did I commit by sending my son to Lagos Model College?
I have so far raised N400,000. My salary is not even up to N100,000 a month. We had to rally round relatives and friends before we got that amount. But the problem is, since they (kidnappers) contacted us last weekend to ask how much we had, we have not heard from them again. Then, we had N320,000 and they asked if we were bargaining for crayfish with them.
“Why is government silent? Is it because these children are not their biological children? My wife was taken away from the house since last week because she was continually running temperature.
‘’I am appealing to Lagos state government to help us. This is the longest any kidnapped student has stayed in abductors’ den. We just hope that they are safe wherever they are”, he said, trying as much as he could not betray emotions.
Another parent whose N2 million ransom was rejected, simply told Vanguard on phone: ‘’Government has abandoned us.“
After a long pause, which seemed like eternity, he continued; “As it is now, we are on our own. I am appealing to these kidnappers to release our children. What crime did they commit to warrant this emotional and psychological torture meted on them?’’ he asked and hung up.
Navy collaborates with Police in rescue efforts
Meantime, the Nigerian Navy, yesterday, said that it was collaborating with the Police in the rescue operation of the six students.
It, however, said that caution was being applied in the rescue operation in order not to endanger the captives’ lives.
Navy’s collaboration, as gathered, followed Police inability to navigate the terrain of the camp where the students were relocated to on Monday, due to non-availability of necessary platforms.
The abducted students were relocated for the second time Monday following their parents' inability to pay the ransom demanded by the militants for their release.
Police sources hinted that the terrain of the creeks was inaccessible as it was covered with foliage, adding that boats at the Police disposal could not access the route.
When Vanguard contacted the Navy, saddled with the constitutional responsibility of ensuring safety of the waterways, on its position over the rescue of the abducted students, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai, stated that they were collaborating with the police in the rescue operation.
He explained that the use of force was not the best option in the rescue exercise. Rather, he said diplomacy or negotiation was the best option at this given time.
Asked to explain what he meant by negotiation, Bobai said: “Diplomacy or negotiation is a better option rather than the use of force. Negotiation here means an option that will lead to the rescue of the students instead of force. Remember that the kidnappers were engaged in the early part of the abduction where they suffered casualty.
“As it is now, the safety of the students is paramount to us. So we are applying every necessary means to ensure that they are not just rescued but rescued alive and we are collaborating with the Police in that regard. Any time the Commissioner of Police calls, we always oblige him. Some of our boats are patrolling with those of the Marine Police”.
Bobai who is also the Officer-in-Tactical Command of Operation AWATSE, a joint maritime operation created to checkmate excesses of militants and pipeline vandalism, said that the operation was still on, assuring that all was being done to ensure the students’ safe return.
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