Gunmen intercept school bus, abduct teachers, pupils in Ekiti

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Monday abducted pupils and teachers of a private nursery school in Emure, headquarters of Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

This incident happened the same day gunmen shot dead two traditional rulers in the state in Oke-Ako axis of Ikole Local Government Area.

It was learnt that the school bus conveying the pupils and the teachers was intercepted at about 5pm on Monday in Eporo-Ekiti, in the Emure area of the state.

Six of the pupils, three teachers and the bus driver were kidnapped and their whereabouts were unknown as of Tuesday morning.

“They were kidnapped after their school bus was intercepted in Eporo-Ekiti, at a location that shares a boundary with Ondo state on Monday evening, ” a source said.

Meanwhile, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has urged the citizens of the state not to be despaired over the abduction of some school pupils and their teachers in Emure-Ekiti.

The Governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode on Tuesday in a statement assured residents that efforts were on to get the children and their teachers rescued, calling on the citizens to remain calm and vigilant.

Governor Oyebanji described the kidnapping of the school pupils, as callous and unacceptable.

The Governor said security agencies in the state were on the trail of the abductors with a mandate to bring the pupils and their teachers back safely.

Governor Oyebanji said security was being stepped up across the state with a view to flushing out criminals from their hideouts.

He, however, urged the citizens to cooperate with security agencies by providing relevant information to the authorities.

The Police spokesman in the state, Sunday Abutu could not be reached for reaction as of the time of filing this report.