Lagos school kidnap: DAY 63: Two abducted students mark 16, 17 years birthday in captivity

Two of the six abducted Senior Secondary School students of Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe turned 16 and 17 years respectively, this week, in their captors den, Vanguard gathered .

Speaking with Vanguard, a relation of one of the abducted students who simply gave his name as Benjamin, said:

“My nephew clocked 16 years on Monday. But how would his family celebrate without knowing the fate of the celebrant? What we did was to have a fasting and prayer session in a church at Ikorodu same day, for God to intervene because only God can save them.

Another student among them also turned 17 yesterday.” Since the students;Peter Jonah, Isiaq Rahmon, Adebayo George, Judah Agbausi, Pelumi Philips and Farouq Yusuf were abducted, there had been assurances from the Lagos state government and the Police that they would be released soon. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, also stated at the weekend that Abuja was collaborating with the Lagos state government for the victims’ safe return. However, today is the 63rd day, without any hope for their release inspite of the assurances.

Expressing concern over the students long stay in captivity, NOPRIN, a network of 46 civil society organizations in Nigeria, in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said; “ The condition under which these children are held and the trauma they would be passing through can only be imagined. ”The distraught parents have cried their eyes out in their passionate appeal to the state to do everything necessary to rescue them and they are reported to have paid some huge amount of money in ransom to the abductors who have hard-heartedly continued to hold the innocent children in captivity.” Vanguard