.Recounts narrow escape from abductors

By Adesina Wahab

The Welfare Director of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, Comrade Adams Sadiq, has called for adequate security measures to ensure the safety of students on their campuses and on the highways as they travel for one reason or the other.

Sadiq, who recalled how he and some of his colleagues recently escaped being kidnapped along Ife-Ilesha Road, noted that students travel a lot for academic and organisational activities.

Sadiq, who appeared on programme “Your View” on TVC, Lagos, said the incident occurred while he and several student delegates comprising two student union presidents, zonal NANS PRO and some State NANS leaders and former zonal Secretary were enroute Ekiti State for the NANS Southwest Convention held at Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.
It was at the convention that he and other new executive members were elected into offices at zonal level.
According to him, “As we were going, one of the vehicles developed some mechanical faults and that really delayed us and it took us some time to fix the fault. We were close to Ilesha when the incident happened. It was around 1am and we were careful with our speed and driving.
“To me the incident was a well-coordinated kidnap attempt. From nowhere, some armed men appeared. They flashed powerful torches at us and they were armed and hooded. It was by divine grace that we escaped and they pursued us, but our drivers were luckily up to the task.”
The student leader used the opportunity to draw attention to the growing insecurity on major highways, particularly those frequently used by students travelling for academic and organizational activities.
He also called on the newly-appointed Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to prioritize the safety and protection of students across all states of the federation.
He opined that improving the welfare of police personnel and other security officers is equally critical, noting that well-supported security operatives are better positioned to effectively protect lives and property.
According to him, ensuring good welfare, motivating, and operational support for security agents would strengthen their capacity to respond swiftly to threats and secure Nigeria’s highways.
He urged authorities and relevant security agencies to intensify surveillance, patrol operations, and rapid response systems on highways in order to ensure the safety of road users.