3 Abducted Girls Rescued 11 Kidnappers At-Large

Three girls, Timilehin Olusa, Tofunmi Popo and Deborah Akinayo, were abducted last Monday in their school, an act that outraged the nation.

The three abducted students of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, Lagos, were rescued in Imota, another town on the outskirt of Ikorodu, after intricate police moves that started with the arrest of one of the suspects, last Friday.

Though they were not publicly presented after their rescue, the girls were not molested by the kidnappers. To ascertain their health status, police authorities reportedly took them to an undisclosed hospital for medical examination after their rescue. However, a suspected member of the gang that abducted the girls and two other accomplices have been arrested by security agents.

Eleven other suspected members of the 12-man gang were said to be at large and police are still on their trail. The picture of one of the two conspirators paraded, according to the police, is on the registration Subscriber Identity Module, SIM, of his phone. It was also gathered that one of the arrested kidnappers, a prime suspect, Emmanuel Arigidi, led police operatives to secure the release of the abducted girls somewhere at Imota.

Confirming the news, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Steve Ayorinde, said no ransom was paid. He blamed the crime on some pipeline vandals who he said had been sent out of business by security agencies. Meanwhile, it was jubilation galore, yesterday, at the school as parents and students expressed appreciation to Almighty God over the release of the three female students.

This came as a militant leader simply called ‘General Ossy’ made frantic calls, Saturday, exonerating his group from the abduction saga. He, however, vowed that his group would continue to engage in vandalism, boasting that no security force could flush them out of existence.