Tulip Kidnap: I Was A Witness To Negotiation Talk With Kidnappers-Gov. Amosun

Omooba Risawe

Ogun State‎ Governor,Senator Ibikunle Amosun has disclosed that he was a witness to negotiation talk with the kidnappers who abducted the eight students and staff of Nigeria-Turkish International School towards the release of the victims.

Amosun made the disclosure on Wednesday while receiving the rescued students and staff of the college,who were brought to him in his office  by the Commissioner of Police,Ahmed Ilyasu accompanied by other security chiefs,but didn’t not confirm whether ransom was asked by the kidnappers,or ransom given to them

The Governor,however,frowned at activities of the kidnappers and further declared that, his administration would deal with the criminals inspite of whatever connection they might have gotten

‘But I have a word for them and I’m happy that we are saying this: I know they would be monitoring all that we do, they have the means. Indeed, I just refrained from talking to them because I was there when some were talking to them, maybe tracking them’,Amosun revealed.

‘But let me assure them that they will pay dearly for this because this is Ogun State, we don’t allow criminals to operate here. Ogun State will not be comfort zone, we will not allow them to operate. Anybody that wants to do business, with good intention, without criminality, of course they are welcome to the state. But when they want to give us bad name, we will not allow that’,he added.

The governor,however‎, felicitated with all parents and the rescued victims,recalling that everybody was worried when the victims were in captivity.

‘Let me on that happy note warmly welcome all of you to this place. From the MD, principal and staff of the school.To our parents, let me felicitate with you because I know, everybody was worried. I and everybody in government were very worried. People that ordinarily were not even there will call me. So, I know the trauma that you have all went (gone) through’,Amosun stated.

He said,all along the government knew where the kidnappers kept the victims, and that security operatives would have stormed the place,but because of the safety of the victims, another tactical method was used to rescue them unhurt.

‘But that the safety of those that were kidnapped. Of course, we can not jeopardise that. If not for that, we would have stormed them within 24 hours because we knew where they were, we knew everything about where they were trapped. We can’t just go there and say we want to storm the place. God forbid what could happen there; that was the challenge that we have’,he said.

‘But again like I said, we thank God for His mercies and in the end, we have cause to glorify God. Let me thank in a special way, the President. I wasn’t even around when it happened. I travelled out of the state and I was called and he notified me of what has happened and the President personally spoke with me on this, not once, not twice’.

‘Even the day before yesterday, we spoke. Day before yesterday was Sunday and I told him that yes we are sure that before Monday morning, they would be out. So, when nothing happened on Monday, he called to say what is happening? I said we are almost there. So, we thank God and we have to thank him. And through him, we thank our security operatives – the IG and all the high command up there were all involved’,the governor added.

‘But let me now thank those that are here because they are in the line of fire. We met on this one more than four or five times. At some point in time I wasn’t happy and I expressed hard feelings to me and they told me that within 24 hours – I was being briefed that the whole people will be out’.

‘I think we met on Sunday, we met on Monday and yesterday again, we met when the AIG came. I’m aware that all of them didn’t sleep. I know paramilitary agencies were involved; even our local vigilante and our Baales’.
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‘But let me say that we are reviewing things and I’m sure that we will soon call a meeting. With what has happened, we have seen now that yes, we hear about private schools. We are now taking this the way we took Boko Haram. Because what we do as a government, we were attending churches without them knowing… to make sure we are protecting the congregation that are going there’.

‘In all our schools now, what we are putting in place is to do some kind of mapping because look at where you are we went there to even do this road shots. However far flung the place may be. They must be safe but there are certain precautionary measures that we need to take now. For us we have gone round all our schools, boarding and those that are not boarding. We are going to rejig our security so that Ogun State will not be a comfort zone for all these criminals’.

‘So, I have news for them, we will go after them, we will hunt them down so that it would serve as deterrent. We are ready, yes, they would want to dare us and we will continue to be ready for them. I don’t want people to go away with the feeling that maybe we are not safe in Ogun State. No, we are’.

‘ But we will put all necessary measures in place to continue to show that we are peaceful people and this is a very safe environment. We are the industrial capital of Nigeria; there is no state that has the number of industries we have. We have the highest number of industries. So, if some people now want to spoil that name or give us bad name, we will not allow it. The truth is that as government, as security operatives, we need to get it right’.

‘I know that they must have gone through some traumatic time but we thank God that finally you are here with us with your family safely. We knew where you were within 24 hours of your abduction but the challenge we had was that we were very mindful of your safety, that was why we did not storm the place. So, I want you to just take it as one of those things and there should be lesson for us as government, all our entrepreneurs, people that have schools, we need to collaborate with government and allow more work relation with government’.

‘Once again I want to thank everybody, I’m happy you didn’t spoil my day that I’m having my birthday today. So, we thank God for His mercies, we thank all our security agencies, we thank all our officials that made sure that you got out safely’.