By Christopher Oji

Suspected informant to the gang that abducted students and officials of the Nigeria-Turkish International school has been arrested.

The informant, simply identified as Turkey, was picked by detectives from the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and members of the Oodua People’s Congress at Isheri area of Ogun State.

OPC Coordinator in Isheri, Olumide Sunday, said, Turkey had initially escaped from the community but returned after his kinsmen were arrested by the police.

Sunday said: “After the arrest of his people by the police who raided the Ijo community, they lured him back home.  When he arrived, they called us, and we invited the police.  He has been taken away by the police.”

However, 11 days after students and school officials were kidnapped the captors are  yet  to set them free. Daily Sun investigation gathered that the kidnappers had assured families of the victims that they would release their captives last Friday but reneged following some developments.

Towards the plan to free the students and officials at the weekend, It was also gathered that the kidnappers reduced the ransom to N10 million, out of which the families could only raise N7.5 million  The kidnappers asked that the money be dropped somewhere in Ogun State.

A dependable police officer, who confided in Daily Sun, said, “as we were not involved in the negotiation, we are doing our job.  We arrested some kingpins and their relatives. Following the arrests, the kidnappers became jittery and disappointed the victims’ families who were chasing them up and down with the ransom.”

He stated that the arrests of the informant proved that the police know who the kidnappers are.  He stated: “They want to collect ransom, but it will not be easy as the police are not party to ransom payment. The families of the victims are not happy that we are frustrating ransom payment, but we are doing the right thing.  We know who the kidnappers are.  They must release the captives unconditionally.

Source in the family of one of the kidnapped victims revealed: “We went to three locations where they assured us they were going to drop our children, but they disappointed us. We can’t say why.  At a time, we thought they had killed our children, but we later spoke with them.

“We have been so traumatised.  We can’t eat or sleep, imagine how children of such ages would be sleeping in the creek.  The kidnappers should know that we have tried our best. They should release our innocent children.”

Meanwhile, four persons including, a young lady who just finished her National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), were at the weekend kidnapped at a farm in Epe area of Lagos State.

The kidnappers, numbering about 10 and in military camouflages, stormed the farm shooting sporadically before snatching the victims and  fleeing.

The hoodlums were said to have demanded for N20 million ransom from the owner of the farm.

A source said, “kidnappers stormed Tanda farm and took away four persons, including a lady who just returned from her NYSC.  They left with three farmers and the lady.  She was just employed in the farm.  She started work two weeks ago.

“The lady’s fiance, told us that the kidnappers had demanded N5 million each from the victims, totaling N20 million

A senior police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “I am not aware that some one was kidnapped.  We had a situation report that some bad boys were planning to attack some riverine communities.  The Commissioner of Police with Rapid Response Squad (RRS), visited the area on what we call show of force toward off attack.  I don’t believe anybody was kidnapped.”