By Christopher Oji
There is no hope insight yet for the abducted students and officials of Nigeria-Turkish International School, Isheri, Ogun State as the police claimed they cannot rescue the victims.
The police said they needed the assistance of the Nigerian Air Force and Army to rescue the victims.
Gunmen had stormed the school Friday night, abducted three female students, three Nigeria workers and two Turkish officials.
The kidnappers had demanded N1.2 billion initially, but reduce the ransom to N700 million.
“We know the exact location of the kidnappers and the victims but we cannot storm the place because of the safety of the children and that of the other officials
“We will not make the mistake of attempting the creek because there is no way the kidnappers will not see us coming and they may end up killing their victims.
“We need the assistance of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Nigerian Army, who we think have the wherewithal to penetrate the creek through the air,” a top police officer told Daily Sun.
Another police source maintained that the identities of the perpetrators of the dastardly act were well known to the police.
He said: “We have met with families and relatives of some of the kidnappers who are currently speaking with them. We need to persuade them as it is, we can’t apply force, the lives of the victims are so precious to us.
“We have gone to Ondo, Delta and Edo states to consult with their families. I think the families are cooperating and are assisting us in talking to them.
“But if this option fails, we will not have any other reason not to use our plan B, which we can’t disclose. But it will yield positive results.
“Their identities are well known and they know we know them. But we are using wisdom for the sake of the innocent children.
“We are not happy that they are playing with the lives of innocent children. They are taking the joke too far and the whole world is watching.
“The most annoying thing is that one of the students is a sickle cell anemia patient and she is in crisis at the moment.”
But in a swift reaction, NAF Director of Public Relations (DOPR), Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, said NAF was prepared to offer police the cenessary assistance to secure freedom for the students and officials.
“This is not a problem. The police should go to the appropriate authorities and put their request forward to the Air Force. It’s not an issue. They know the procedure. Let them do the necessary thing, but we have not heard from the police.”