An unspecified number of school children have been reportedly kidnapped in Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
The incident came about the same time when gunmen suspected to be kidnappers, attempted to kidnap three Ekiti traditional rulers but later killed two of them.
One of the traditional rulers was said to have escaped the scene mysteriously.
Gov. Biodun Oyebanji, while confirming the abduction of the children on Tuesday, promised to deploy all apparatus possible, to unearth the criminals responsible and bring them to justice.
The school, Apostolic Faith Nursery/Primary School, situated in Emure-Ekiti, had its school bus conveying the pupils, when they were attacked in the evening on Monday.
Local sources who spoke on the incident, said the bus was at neighbouring Eporo Ekiti town boundary when the incident happened.
Reacting, Oyebanji, through Mr Yinka Oyebode, his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, urged for calmness, saying the state government would do everything humanly possible to rescue the pupils.
He urged citizens of the state not to despair over the kidnapping of the pupils and their teachers, assuring that efforts were on to get them rescued.
The governor’s statement also clarified that some pupils of the private school in Emure-Ekiti, along with their teachers, and the bus driver, were abducted while returning to Eporo- Ekiti, Monday evening.
The governor, who described the kidnapping of the pupils as callous and unacceptable, said nothing would be spared in the efforts to rescue them.
He assured that 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.
He added that security was being stepped up across the state, with a view to flushing out criminal elements from their hideouts.
While calling on the citizens to remain calm and vigilant, he urged them to cooperate with security agencies, by making available relevant information to the authorities.
The police PPRO in the state, DSP Sunday Abutu, could not comment on the matter as he was engaged in an emergency security meeting with Gov. Oyebanji over the abduction.
The governor had engaged all security apparatuses in the state in an emergency meeting in response to the unfortunate situation.
Protest rocks Ekiti over abduction of pupils, council chairman condemns killing of traditional rulers
The Federation of Ekiti State Students’ Union (FESSU), on Tuesday, embarked on a peaceful protests over the abduction of primary school pupils in Emure Local Government Area and killing of two traditional rulers in the state.
Some pupils and three teachers of Apostolic Faith Nursery and Primary school in Emure were reported to have been abducted on Monday afternoon by suspected kidnappers in Eporo-Ekiti, a border town.
The protesters marched through the streets of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, demanding immediate action of government and security agencies to rescue the abducted pupils
The students also condemned the failed abduction, and subsequent killing of two traditional rulers in the state on Monday afternoon.
Speaking with journalists at the NUJ press centre, Oke Oriomi, Ado Ekiti, the National President of FESSU, Abel Ajibade, described the incident as pathetic.
“These children were kidnapped in their bus. This is the major reason why we are calling on the security forces, media houses, and the government itself to please rescue the pupils, and bring them back to their comfort zone.
“Education is our right. If we cannot actually study in a peaceful environment anymore, then, what is our right?”
“We know the government is doing its best, we know they are trying.
“Few months back, the government released equipment to security personnels; more are needed, more security is needed and those pupils that were kidnapped, we want them back. That is our own agitation”, he said.
Also speaking, the Senate President of the union, Mr Omotosho Fasasi, said that the protest march embarked on was to strategic places including state secretariat and police command to draw attention to the incidents of kidnapping in the state.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Oye Local Government Area in Ekiti, Mrs Clara Bamisile on Tuesday, urged security agencies to fish out the hoodlums that killed two traditional rulers in Ekiti.
Bamisile, who made the call in an interview in Oye-Ekiti, described the killing of the Onimojo of Imojo-Ekiti , Oba Olatunde Olusola and the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Ogunsola as act of wickedness and cruelty.
The chairperson sympathised with the families and communities of the late traditional Obas, assuring them that the perpetrators would be arrested and be made to face the wrath of the law.
”I want to sincerely sympathise with the families of the late traditional rulers over their sudden death.
”It is quite unfortunate that our communities that used to be peaceful and devoid of cases of kidnapping have suddenly become insecure.
”I want to urge our security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of these evil acts are arrested,” she said.
Bamisile appealed to residents of Oye-Ekiti and other communities to be security conscious and avoid late night journeys.
Tinubu condemns Ekiti killings, directs rescue of kidnapped pupils
President Bola Tinubu has condemned the killing of two traditional rulers in Ekiti state, the Onimojo of Imojo-Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Samuel Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsola.
A statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said that Tinubu condemned the mindless and brutal bloodletting, and pledged that the perpetrators would not escape justice.
The President condoled with the families and subjects of the traditional rulers, Gov. Biodun Oyebanji, and the people of Ekiti State on this deeply agonising development.
In the same vein, Tinubu directed the immediate rescue of pupils and teachers of a private nursery and primary school in Emure Ekiti kidnapped around Eporo-Ekiti area of the State.
He said that security of life and property is the primary responsibility of government, assuring Nigerians that the nation’s security architecture is being robustly fortified for better and expected outcomes.
On Monday, two of three Ekiti traditional rulers returning from a meeting in Irele-Ekiti were accosted and gunned down.
Gunmen abducted six pupils and three teachers of a private school and their bus driver at Eporo-Ekiti, on Monday evening.
