Tinubu condemns killing of Ekiti monarchs, vows perpetrators will not escape justice

Tinubu condemns killing of Ekiti monarchs, vows perpetrators will not escape justice

Olaitan Ogundele 

President Bola Tinubu on Tues­day condemned the brutal 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, vowing that the perpetrators of the dastardly act will not go scot-free.

The president condoled with the families and subjects of the traditional rulers, Governor Bio­dun Oyebanji, and the people of Ekiti State, describing the devel­opment as “deeply agonising.”

Meanwhile, President Tinu­bu has directed the immediate rescue of pupils and teachers kidnapped around the Eporo-Ekiti area of the state.

Security of life and property being the primary responsibili­ty of his government, President Tinubu has also assured that the nation’s security architecture is being robustly fortified for better and expected outcomes, accord­ing to his Special Adviser on Me­dia and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement made available to newsmen.

Kidnapped students and teachers

Gunmen suspected to be kid­nappers abducted pupils and teachers of a private nursery school in Emure, headquarters of Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

It was observed that the school bus conveying the pupils and the teachers including the driver was intercepted about 5p.m on Mon­day along Eporo-Ekiti, in the Emure area of the state.

Sources said six of the pupils, three teachers and the bus driv­er were kidnapped and where­abouts unknown as of Tuesday morning.

“They were kidnapped after their school bus was intercepted in Eporo Ekiti, at a location that shares a boundary with Ondo State on Monday evening,” the source said.

This incident happened the same day when gunmen shot dead the two traditional rulers in Oke-Ako axis of Ikole Local Government Area of the state.

Meanwhile, the state gover­nor, Biodun Oyebanji, has urged the citizens of the state not to de­spair over the abduction of some school pupils and their teachers in Emure- Ekiti, assuring that efforts are on to get the children and their teachers rescued.

The governor, who described the kidnapping of the school pu­pils, as callous and unacceptable, said nothing would be spared in the efforts to rescue them.

The governor’s Special Advis­er on Media, Yinka Oyebode, on Tuesday in a statement said se­curity agencies in the state are al­ready on the trail of the abductors with a mandate to bring the pupils and their teachers back safely.

Governor Oyebanji said se­curity is 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.

In the meantime, latest re­port on the kidnapped students and teachers revealed that the abductors had reached out to the families of the victims, demand­ing N10 million each for the 10 abducted victims.

This is as Ekiti State Police Command announced the arrest of five suspects in connection with the killings and kidnap­pings.

A source from one of the vic­tims family, said, “They called the family of one of the school chil­dren and they are requesting for N10 million per victim. What we gathered is that there are 10 per­sons kidnapped – six schoolchil­dren, three teachers and a driver.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, in a statement said the suspects were arrested during a bush combing operation through Oke-Osun, Ikere/Igbo-Okah to the thick for­est around Iju/Ikere boundary.

He said, “During the opera­tion, five suspected kidnappers namely, Usman Jelili, Moham­med Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi, And Suleiman Abdula­hi were arrested.

During interrogation, the sus­pects claimed to be herdsmen but it was later discovered that none of them has cattle and no cattle was found with them in the forest where they were arrested.

The following items were found with them in the forest, two motorcycles, one cutlass, one jack knife/dagger and four phones.(Independent)