We Have Arrested High Profile Suspects Over Nigeria-Turkish School Kidnap-Police

Omooba Risawe

Ogun State Police Command said on Wednesday that it has arrested high profile suspects in connection with abduction of eight students and staff of Nigeria-Turkish International School,which is located in Isheri area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police Ahmed Iliyasu made the disclosure  while handing over the rescued victims to the Governor, Ibikunle Amosun.‎ The victims were led by their parents,service chiefs and management staff of the school ‎to the Oke-Mosan Governor’s office in Abeokuta.

His words ‘I have to bring to the notice of His Excellency some high profile suspects were arrested…The operation is large scale and is ongoing. Definitely, this is not the end of the operation’

Ilyasu said the command would not fold it’s arms and see criminals thriving in the state,‎stressing that criminals would  not be allow to operate successfully in the state and environs.

‘The Inspector General of Police mandated me to make a very clear view; it’s an ongoing operations between us with the military and the state services and I’m assuring you sir that the history of this state and the standard of this state as a peaceful state, as a safe and secure state will definitely continue to be in the history of this nation‎’

The Commissioner pointed out that, the deployment of the technically-driven team of intelligence response system of the Inspector General of Police on Monday fished out, the miscreants behind the incident, caved in the kidnappers hideout to rescue all  eight victims unhurt.

‘Nobody would come and destroy the peace of this state; this is not a place that kind of a thing would be orchestrated. We are resolute, we are committed to the safety and security of not only the citizens of this state but to our national duty’.

‘I thereby present to you the management of the school and the kidnapped victims for your reception sir. Thank you for all your support throughout this period. The huge support, the huge backbone that you have given our operation that was carried out led to the success of what we are seeing today’,he told the governor.

Managing Director of Nigeria-Turkish International School Mr Orhan Kertim in his remark thanked all Nigerians for support rendered during the eleven days trying period

‘I will like to thank the President of this great nation, Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari; Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Inspector General of Police, Director General of State Security Service, Chief of Army Staff, and all national security agencies for their continuous effort and support’,he said.

‘Of course, it was very difficult time for all of us; for 11 days, there were sleepless nights and hopes but also prayers and we have never lost our hope. And at that, we are separated togetherness and dignity. I also want to use this medium to say about our parents because since that night we’ve always felt their presence next to us. They have shown great, tremendous solidarity and after, alhamdulillah, we have passed all these bad things. Thank you very much once again Your Excellency’.

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Similarly,Steve Nwosu, Deputy Managing Director Sun Newspapers, whose child was among those kidnapped spoke on behalf of other parents,and thank all who participated in the rescue of the victims.

‘I don’t have much to say than to say thank you everybody from the Directorate of the National Security, Inspector General of Police, the AIG, the commissioner and even the operatives, the field men of the Department of State Security’.

‘We were all in this together and we are very happy as parents that it has turned out the way it has turned out. Yes, even if anybody has any misgivings, the important thing is the result and we are very happy. The governor, we must thank you for everything you did, we got to know indirectly, we knew what was happening’.

‘As a media person, I understand one or two things that was happening. On behalf of the parents and the children, we want to say a big thank you to everybody that participated in bringing back these children and we say may none of you experience what we experienced’,Nwosu said.

‎Governor Ibikunle Amosun while responding felicitate 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.

‘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’.

‘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’.

‘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’.

‘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. 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’.

‘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’.