Police arrest 3 suspected kidnappers of Lagos students

Three suspected kidnappers of six students in Lagos have been arrested by the Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

The suspects last week stormed Model College, Igbonla, Lagos and ab­ducted the victims.

All the suspects were arrested on Tuesday in Benin, ACP Abba Kyari, said on Wednesday, add­ing that all the suspects had been involved in various kidnap cases in the country.

Kyari said: “Three of the militant kidnappers, who left the creeks and came to Benin to visit one of their members that was injured in a recent gun battle with security agents, were arrested by IRT in Benin.

“The suspects are Egelu Endurance, (aka) Jubby, 25, a native of Abere town in Ovia South LGA of Edo State; Stanley Yomi Irabomini, 25, (aka) Pow­ei from Ovia South LGA of Edo State and Bentel Endurance, 24, also from Ovia South LGA Edo State”, he said.

Kyari said the suspects had confessed to have participated in the kid­napping of prominent personalities in Lagos and Ogun States.

“The suspects claimed they came to Benin to see their injured colleague and relax for a while be­fore going back to the creeks.”

He said that efforts to arrest the remaining gang members and rescue the school children were in progress.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has called on the IGP to en­sure the rescue of the stu­dents.

The House also urged the National Security Ad­viser (NSA), the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the IGP and the Comman­dant-General of Nigeria Security and Civil De­fence Corps to deploy se­curity personnel to flush out bandits hiding in the Balmo forest, Bauchi State.

This followed a motion: “Spate of Kidnapping in Lagos State and the Re­cent Abduction of Six Students of Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe sponsored by Hon. Olawale Raji.

Raji asked the Com­mittees on Basic Educa­tion and Services, Police Affairs and Navy to pay a commiseration visit to the Lagos State govern­ment.

Also, to conduct an in­vestigation into the state of insecurity in the riv­erine communities, wa­terways and schools in Lagos State and make rec­ommendations on ways to permanently arrest the scourge of militancy and kidnapping in the State.

Further speaking on the Motion, Rep. Ige not­ed that the abduction of six students namely; Pe­ter Jonah, Isiaq Rahmon, Adebayo George, Judah Agbausi, Pelumi Phillips and Farouq Yusuf of La­gos State Model College Igbonla, Epe by unknown gun men marked the sec­ond time the school was been attacked.

He stated that the river­ine communities in Lagos State are currently under siege.