- Parents, teachers, authorities still in shock
On Friday night, parents and the authorities of the Nigerian Tulip (Turkish) International College were thrown into panic as kidnappers stormed the Ogun branch of the school and whisked away five female students, three teaching and non-teaching staff of the school.
The incident, which occurred at about 9pm, has again thrown up the need for the Federal and state governments to find a workable and lasting solution to the menace of kidnapping in Nigeria.
Supervisors, teachers and students of the school, who spoke in separate interviews with The Point, said the kidnappers executed their plan when everyone least expected.
They were said to have gained entrance into the otherwise secure NTIC environment through a hole carved through the back fence of the girls’ hostel, but were not immediately detected.
Recounting the unfortunate incidence, a female supervisor, name witheld, said, “Most people were upstairs in their rooms, when the students alerted the supervisors that they saw soldiers downstairs in the compound. Our thought was that they were those guarding the school. But when we noticed that something was amiss because the students said the ‘soldiers’ were many, we quickly locked the girls in one room.
“Before we could go down to check or alert the boys’ side, some of them came up with guns and went straight to the House Mistress, Ms. Rashidat Ibrahim’s’ room and seized her. They also kidnapped the SS 2 girls’ Turkish supervisor, Mrs. Derya. They started shooting when they were taking them away.”
A teacher, who also narrated the Friday experience, said the CCTV footage showed that the abductors, in Military Camouflage uniforms, were positioned in the front of the kitchen, at the entrance to the girls’ side, on the courtyard and in the walkway.
“It was when they were taking a roll call of all the students that they discovered that three regular students and two NTIC JAMB schorlarship students had also been kidnapped. A kitchen staff, Miss Shakira, was also taken away,” he said.
The kidnapped students include: Stephanie Nwosu (JS1); Zainab Olatunbosun (JS2); Rebecca Agoodi (SS2); Rodia Amina and Aderintan Annat (JAMB scholarship students).
The authorities of the school have informed President Muhammadu Buhari and the state government of the incident, while all hands are on deck to ensure that the abducted members of the NTIC family are released safely very soon.
Security operatives have, since last night, been deployed to the school.
Meanwhile, the school authorities have pleaded with parents to stay calm as combined efforts to free the kidnapped students and staff are expected to yield a positive result very soon.
All efforts by our correspondent to speak with both the Lagos and Ogun State Police commands did not yield results as at press time.
