•Kidnappers’ leader relocates to Ondo

By Ifeanyi Okolie

Hope rose, yesterday, for the release of the kidnapped students and staff of the Nigerian- Turkish International College (NTIC), located in Isheri North LGAs, Ogun State.

The overall commander of the militant group believed to be holding the captives was said to have ordered his men to release them for ransom.

A security source said the commander, identified as Ossy Ibori, may have also requested for amnesty from government while relocating from the creeks of Arepo on the border between Lagos and Ogun  states to a forest in Ajapa  area of Ondo State.

From left: Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa; Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs.) Yetunde Onanuga and Principal, Nigerian Tullip International School, Mr. Yunus Dogan when the deputy governor led a delegation of government officials to the school yesterday following the kidnap of some of its students and teachers

Ossy, the security source explained, wanted amnesty on exchange for his dropping of arms.

He was said to have relocated from the Arepo camp, leaving the kidnapped NTIC students and staff with some of his men, saying the captives should be freed in exchange for ransom.

Consequently, the source was optimistic that the captives may be released today or tomorrow as the group keeping them no longer enjoyed the protection it had when  Ossy was within the Lagos creeks.

Meanwhile, the source said the group’s commander was believed to have carried out several killings, bank robberies, kidnappings and   pipeline vandalism around Ikorodu, Ibafon, Arepo, Festac, Iba, Agbara, Lekki, Isheri, Igando and Epe areas of Lagos and Ogun State.

His group was also accused of being behind the plan to blow up the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos in November 2016 to attract government attention to its demand for amnesty for its members and pipeline protection contract in Lagos and Ogun.